Endive
There are three main varieties of endive: Belgian endive, curly endive and escarole:
- Belgian endive (also known as French endive and witlof) has a small head of cream-coloured bitter leaves. It is grown completely underground to avoid the leaves turning green and opening up. This is extensive manual work, as the plant has to be kept just below the dirt surface as it grows, only showing the very tip of the leaves.
- Curly endive (sometimes mistakenly called chicory in the United States) has green, rimmed, curly outer leaves. Curly endive is also know as frisée.
- Escarole has broad, pale green leaves and is less bitter than the other varieties.
Endive Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits
TweetThe composition of endive is 93.79% water, 3.35% carbohydrates, 1.25% protein, 3.1% dietary fiber, and 0.2% fat. If you consume one endive you will get 2.848 grams of carbohydrates. It is equal to 2.19 percent of the 130 grams of carbohydrates you should include in your daily diet. That same it has an energy value of 71 kJ (17 Calories) in a 100 g (3.5 Oz) amount and is an important source of Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and Vitamin B9 (folate, DFE) (256.67% and 35.5% of the Daily Value, respectively). So if your diet contains endives, it helps your body to regulate concentration of calcium in the blood, retent of episodic memory (in older people), maintain healthy bone growth and resorption and it is effective against osteoporosis by regulating calcium levels, high cholesterol level and neuronal damage in the brain. At the same time it contains a large amount of Manganese attaining 23.33% of the Daily Value in a 100 g (3.5 Oz).