Nutritional Facts and Health Benefits of Mustard

Introduction

Mustard(Brassica campestris) is a winter crop. The plant reaches about 2.5-3.5 feet height. It bears golden yellow flowers and seeds are tiny, round measuring about 1 mm in diameter found inside a fruit pod. Mustard oil is extracted from seed which are commonly used for cooking purposes. The oil of mustard provides a pungent flavour and reddish brown colour.

Nutritional Facts

The unique mustard oil composition results in a highly rich nutrition profile that has numerous health promoting effects.

Fats in Mustard

There are three different types of fats in mustard oil. It contains about 60% of monounsaturated fat, 12% of saturated fat and 21% of polyunsaturated fat(omega-3 and omega – 6 fatty acids). These are fats that must be consumed in the diet because our body does not produce them.

Carbohydrates

Mustard seeds provide 5 gm of Carbohydrate per 100 gm of seeds in the form of fibre and starch but there is no carbohydrate in mustard oil. The estimated glycemic load of mustard oil is zero.

Protein

Mustard seeds provide 26 gm of protein per 100 gm of seeds along with a number of amino acids even though mustard oil is extracted from seeds, there is no protein in mustard oil.

Micronutrients

Mustard is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It contains vitamin A, B complexes (folates, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid), C, E. Mustards are rich source of minerals like calcium, manganese, copper, iron, selenium, zinc etc. It contains flavonoid, carotenoid antioxidants such as carotene ,zeaxanthin and lutein.

Health Benefits

Block microbial growth :- Mustard oil is used to preserve food items for prolonged storage and hinders the growth of pathogenic bacteria in food products. It protects the body from the microbial diseases.
Alleviate pain :- Some studies found that mustard oil helps to decrease pain by desensitizing certain pain receptors in the body. Mustard oil contains alpha linolenic acid, an 3-fatty acid that helps to decrease inflammation and pain.
Reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases :- omega 3-fatty acid mustard helps to dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure and also helps in blood clotting and inflammation in the body. The omega 6-fatty acid helps to reduce risk of heart diseases. The monounsaturated fat present in mustard oil also provides health benefits. Research has shown that by replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated fat risk for cardiovascular events and stroke can be reduced.
Effective in hindering cancer development :- some studies shows that mustard oil hinders the growth of cancer cell in the body. Mustard seed powder is rich in allyl isothiocyanate that has been proven to decrease the growth of cancer causing cells in living organisms.
Help to treat cold symptoms :- pure mustard oil is often used as natural remedy to treat cold symptoms such as coughing, congestion.
Promote skin and hair health:- Mustard oil is often used as massage oil of body. It minimizes the dark spots, reduce wrinkles and acne. It is believed that using mustard oil on hair reduce hair loss and improve hair growth.

Writer: Yubaraj Subedi (Student, Bsc. Ag IAAS Paklihawa Campus)