Rhubarb Nutrients

Apart from adding flavor to many desserts, where it is most famously paired with strawberries, rhubarb, well-known for its distinctive tart flavor is actually fully “stalked” with really great nutrition!  In fact, it’s been used medicinally for over 5000 years but only more recently as food.

Rhubarb is unique in that it is a vegetable that is prepared and consumed as a fruit (usually it’s fruits that are consumed as veggies!)

Botanically, rhubarb is a vegetable but is prepared and consumed as a fruit from a culinary perspective, which is a bit of a rarity.  Usually, it works the other way around where many fruits, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and peppers (to name a few) are consumed as culinary vegetables!  The only edible portion of the plant is the petioles, more commonly referred to as stalks (which look like pinkish-red celery).  The large green leaves are actually quite poisonous (a serious issue which became apparent during World War I when they were mistakenly recommended as a food source in Britain!)

Champagne rhubarb is harvested by candle-light, where it is said that it is so quiet and they grow so quickly you can hear the ‘pop’ and ‘squeak’ of the plants expanding!

Rhubarb originally came from Asia where it’s had a long history in traditional Chinese medicine.  From Asia, it made its way along the Silk Road to Europe where it was also used by Ancient Greeks and Romans medicinally.  It was so prized that in medieval Europe it was more expensive than herbs and spices such as cinnamon, opium and saffron!  The high cost and increasing demand for this vegetable prompted cultivation of different species of rhubarb in Europe in order to secure a local supply for this medicinal plant.  However, the origin story for culinary rhubarb is not clear.  It is thought that species grown for medicinal purposes in Europe in the early 18^th century hybridized resulting in the culinary variety (Rheum x hybridum).  The availability of locally grown rhubarb, coupled with the decreasing cost of sugar, plus the fact that it was it was one of the first vegetables ready for harvest after a long winter without fresh food, further helped rhubarb attain gastronomic acceptance and widespread consumption began in Britain in the early 19^th century.  Today these ‘crimson stalks’ (nicknamed the “pie-plant” for obvious reasons) are grown in many parts of the world.  Fascinatingly, the sweetest rhubarb is grown by a method known as “forcing” where plants that originally develop outside, are transferred to dark sheds for the later stages of their growth.  The plants are then harvested by candle-light, where it is said that it is so quiet and they grow so quickly you can hear the ‘pop’ and ‘squeak’ of the plants expanding.  Sometimes referred to as champagne rhubarb, these plants are valued for their sweetness and tenderness and sometimes cost 3 times that of regular garden variety rhubarb!  Apart from its culinary accomplishments, rhubarb is also the base of several alcoholic drinks and the roots of the plant can even be used to lighten your hair – look out strawberry-blondes, rhubarb-blondes may just become the next fashion trend!

Rhubarb Nutrition Facts

One serving of rhubarb is standardized to 1 cup, diced or about 122 grams (4.3 ounces). A typical stalk of rhubarb weighs 51 grams which means: one serving of rhubarb is roughly equivalent to a little less than 2 1/2 stalks of rhubarb.

Rhubarb Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Rhubarb, raw	Nutrivore Score:  598	Nutrient Density: High
Serving Size:  1 cup, diced (122 grams)	Protein:  1.1 grams	Net Carbohydrates:  3.3 grams
Calories:  26	Total Fat:  0.2 grams	Dietary Fiber:  2.2 grams

Health Benefits of Rhubarb Nutrients

Let’s take a closer look at all of the best and excellent source of nutrients found in a 1-cup serving of rhubarb and see how they benefit our health.

Rhubarb Provides 325.3 mg of Polyphenols

Rhubarb is an excellent source of polyphenols, providing 325.3 mg of polyphenols per 1-cup serving!

Polyphenols play a huge role in protecting against cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and other conditions associated with oxidative stress. In fact, a major reason foods like red wine and olive oil (as well as diets rich in both, such as the Mediterranean diet) show up as so beneficial may be due to their high polyphenol content! Along with chronic diseases, supplementing with polyphenols has been shown to protect against infections and reduce the signs of aging. Polyphenols exert their most potent effects by acting as antioxidants—preventing cellular damage by neutralizing hazardous oxygen radicals and improving cellular health as a result (which, in turn, benefits virtually every system in the body). As a result of their antioxidant properties, polyphenols also boost the immune system and protect against both chronic and acute diseases. In addition, polyphenols can help regulate enzyme function, stimulate cell receptors, modulate the functions of inflammatory cells (including T and B lymphocytes, macrophages, platelets, and natural killer cells), alter adhesion molecule expression, affect nerve cells and cardiac muscle cells, and exert antiviral effects. Learn more about polyphenols here.

Rhubarb Provides 30% DV Vitamin K

Rhubarb is also an excellent source of vitamin K, providing 30% of the daily value per 1-cup serving!

Vitamin K is actually a group of fat-soluble vitamins with a similar molecular structure, existing as K1, multiple isoforms of K2, and the synthetic form K3. This nutrient plays a vital role in coagulation, due to serving as a cofactor for proteins needed for blood clotting; it’s also essential for bone metabolism, cellular function, and the prevention of soft tissue calcification. Getting enough vitamin K2 can help protect against cardiovascular disease, may improve bone mineral density and skeletal health, and may even support endocrine function and brain health; there’s also some limited evidence it has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Learn more about vitamin K here.

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