Poireau (Leek): Haitians add it to food as spice but do you know all the health benefits?

Spices in Haiti: Poireau (Leek in English)

All my life, I've seen the women in my house mash up poireau, with garlic and other spices in their "pilon" to to and use it as natural seasoning when cooking meats but I never bothered to know what is good for besides the flavor it adds to the food we eat.

Here is what I found out...

Health Benefits of Leeks

Poireau/leeks contain many flavonoid antioxidants. Among the many benefits attributed to flavonoids are reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and stroke. They may play a special role in protecting the brain. (Read: What are Flavonoids?)

Eating Poireau protects your liver by reducing the level of enzymes in your liver, therefore reducing the risk of inflammation or damage to cells in the liver caused by elevated liver enzymes.

Leek or Poireau also has antimicrobial agent that kills microorganisms (bacteria, microbes, molds) in your body or stops them from growing.

Have you ever done a lipid profile blood test? That's the type blood test to measure the level of cholesterol and triglycerides (fats) in your blood. According to WebMD, Cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood can clog arteries, making you more likely to develop heart disease. Consuming poireau/leak helps to decrease the total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in your blood and raises good cholesterol levels, therefore improving your lipid profile.

Eating poireau/leek helps to lower your blood pressure. 100 grams of leeks contains about 180 milligrams of potassium, a nutrient that serves as a vasodilator which widens your blood vessels to allow blood to flow smoothly through the arteries, thereby lowering your blood pressure. According to Ackerman Cancer Center, Leeks increases the production of nitric oxide, a naturally occurring gas that helps dilate and relax blood vessels.

Poireau, the little leafy green vegetable that most Haitians use like a spice (epice) almost everyday and most of them don't even know how much it is protecting their body.

Now you know!

Read more: haitian cuisine, Health and Medicine, Cooking in Haiti, Medicine, Food

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