Agathi leaves: nutrition per 100 g

1. 01

   Calcium at the top of the table

   Agathi leaves carry 901 mg calcium per 100 g, the highest of the 26 green leafy vegetables in IFCT 2017 and 4th of 242 foods overall. On paper, 100 g meets about 90 per cent of the ICMR-NIN 2020 adult requirement, though calcium from leaves is absorbed less fully than calcium from milk.

2. 02

   More protein than any other leaf

   At 8.0 g protein per 100 g, agathi ranks 1st for protein among leafy vegetables, and its 8.6 g of dietary fibre ranks 2nd. Most greens are mainly water; agathi, at 74.4 g water per 100 g, is a denser leaf than most.

3. 03

   Vitamin C and beta-carotene

   100 g of raw leaves gives 121 mg vitamin C, 151 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 186 per cent of a woman's, plus 12582 micrograms of beta-carotene, which ranks 2nd of 160 foods. The body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A as it needs it.

4. 04

   Folate and riboflavin

   Folate reaches 120 micrograms per 100 g, about 55 per cent of a woman's daily requirement, and riboflavin 0.33 mg, which ranks 5th of 241 foods. Both B vitamins take part in making red blood cells and releasing energy from food.

Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.

• Agathi keerai poriyal: shredded leaves tempered with mustard seeds, urad dal and dried red chilli, finished with fresh coconut.
• Agathi kootu: leaves simmered with moong dal and a ground paste of coconut and cumin, eaten with rice.
• Agathi cheera thoran in Kerala: finely chopped leaves stir-fried with coconut, shallots, green chilli and turmeric.
• Bok phool bhaja in Bengal: the white flowers dipped in a thin besan batter and shallow-fried as a side.
• Stirred into sambar or rasam for the last few minutes, so the leaves keep their colour and more of their vitamin C.

Agathi carries 269 micrograms of vitamin K1 per 100 g. Vitamin K is needed for normal blood clotting, but anyone taking warfarin or a similar blood thinner should keep their intake of such greens steady from week to week and check with their doctor before eating large amounts. The leaves are bitter, and the old habit of eating them occasionally rather than daily is a sensible one. Long boiling destroys much of the vitamin C, so cook agathi briefly with the lid on.

Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.

• Drumstick leaves (moringa)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Amaranth leaves (chaulai)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Ponnaganni

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Fenugreek leaves (methi)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Curry leaves

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

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