Fennel Ideal Vegetable for Dieters

A member of the parsley plant family, fennel looks like celery but possesses its own distinct flavor and nutritional qualities. Fennel has been cultivated for centuries as an ornamental vegetable. Its close relative, wild fennel, is used as an herb.

Fennel was popular with the Greeks and Romans whose soldiers ate it to maintain good health – while the ladies used it to ward off obesity. In medieval times seeds were eaten during Lent to alleviate hunger, and dieters still chew raw stalks to suppress their appetite.

The first records of cultivation in England date from the early 18^th century where the Earl of Peterborough cultivated and ate it as a dessert. In 1824 Thomas Jefferson received seeds from the American consul in Livorno and sowed them in his garden. Jefferson is said to have remarked about fennel, “Fennel is beyond every other vegetable…delicious, perfectly white. No vegetable equals it in flavor.”

Low in calories fennel is a good source of potassium and fiber. Its leaves contain small amount of vitamin C and beta carotene.

Fennel eases flatulence, colic, urinary disorders and constipation. Recent research indicates that fennel reduces the effects of alcohol. Chew raw fennel to sweeten breath or infuse fennel as a mouthwash or gargle for gum disease and sore throats and to alleviate hunger and ease indigestion.