Colocasia leaves (arbi patta): nutrition per 100 g

1. 01

   Folate ranks 2nd in its group

   Colocasia leaves carry 159 micrograms of folate per 100 g, 11th of 197 foods. On folate, colocasia leaves cover 53 per cent of a man's daily need and 72 per cent of a woman's. Folate is needed to make DNA and red blood cells.

2. 02

   Beta-carotene near the top

   With 5758 micrograms of beta-carotene per 100 g, colocasia leaves sit 6th of 160 foods. The body converts it to vitamin A, and cooking it with a little oil, as in patra, helps absorption.

3. 03

   Fibre and omega-3 ALA

   100 g supplies 5.6 g dietary fibre, 5th among leafy vegetables, and 335 mg of the plant omega-3 fat ALA, which ranks 26th of 203 foods. The leaf's 1.4 g of fat is high for a green.

4. 04

   Calcium and vitamin C

   Colocasia leaves have 216 mg calcium and 40.7 mg vitamin C per 100 g. Much of the calcium is locked up as the same oxalate crystals that cause the itch, so the figure overstates what the body takes up.

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.

• Patra or alu vadi: leaves layered with a spiced besan, tamarind and jaggery paste, rolled, steamed, sliced and shallow-fried.
• Patrode in coastal Karnataka: leaves spread with a rice, coconut and red chilli paste, rolled and steamed.
• Kochu patay chingri in Bengal: prawns in a mustard and coconut paste, wrapped in colocasia leaves and steamed.
• Chembila curry in Kerala: shredded leaves cooked with coconut, green chilli and a little tamarind.
• Alu chi patal bhaji in Maharashtra: a thin, tangy curry of chopped leaves with peanuts, chana dal and kokum.

Colocasia leaves contain needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate that sting the lips, tongue and throat if the leaves are eaten raw or undercooked. Traditional recipes solve this with long steaming and a sour ingredient: tamarind, kokum, lemon or raw mango. Rub a little oil on your hands before handling the leaves, remove the thick central veins, and never taste the paste raw. People with a history of kidney stones should ask their doctor about high-oxalate foods such as this. Some varieties itch more than others, so buy from sellers who know their leaves.

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.

• Colocasia root (arbi)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Colocasia stem

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Basella leaves

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Pumpkin leaves

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

• Drumstick leaves (moringa)

  Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.

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