5 reasons why you should add dill leaves to your dishes

Dill or ‘anethum graveolens’ is a member of the Apiaceae family. The leaves of dill are used as herbs in cooking for flavour and aroma. Dill is used for preparing dishes such as soups, pickles and curries. The leaves of dill are around 4-8 inches long and are best used when fresh. The oil that is extracted from the leaves is known as dill oil and is often used while manufacturing soaps. Dill is a popular ingredient used in the cuisine of countries like Ukraine and Russia and is mixed in dips and used as a garnishing. Dill leaves are popularly paired with boiled or mashed potatoes topped with butter and is also mixed in salads.

Dill leaves are referred to as ‘soya', ‘soa' or ‘savaa' in India. In Indian cooking, dill leaves are used while making pulses, pickles and vegetables. You can directly add them while cooking lentils. You can prepare a dish from dill leaves by cooking it as a vegetable along with potatoes. Dill leaves can also be added to our regular tea. We can add it with the other ingredients and let them boil before straining the tea. Dill leaves are an abundant source of vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, calcium and manganese and therefore, has a lot of health benefits and some of them are listed below.

Dill consists of vitamin C which helps in increasing our immunity and in the regulation of our metabolism. Vitamin C also helps to heal our wounds faster. Vitamin A present in dill can help us by strengthening our vision and also boost our immunity and the calcium in dill will help to keep our bones healthy. Manganese present in dill is required in less amounts but it helps in the efficient working of our nervous system and brain. Dill is used in less quantity when added to food but if we keep consuming it and adding it in our dishes even in little amounts then it will benefit us.

Dill leaves can aid digestion as they have anti-inflammation and anti-flatulence properties that can help in the reduction of acidity and gas formation. This results in the prevention of problems like bloating and flatulence. Dill can also help people with constipation as is it high in fiber content and thus helps in the process of passing motion easily. Dill plays an effective role in preventing other abdominal issues such as ulcers and gastritis as it can help to reduce the levels of excessive acids in our stomachs.

Insomnia refers to a disorder in which we face trouble falling asleep. Insomnia can either be acute, chronic or may occur occasionally. Insomnia is triggered in a lot of people due to the hectic lifestyle which we have adopted and inadequate sleep can make us lazy and frustrated. Dill consists of a compound known as flavonoids and as well as B-complex vitamins that can help to eradicate insomnia. Dill can activate the release of healthy hormones and is known to lower levels of cortisol that will eventually lead to lower levels of stress.

Antioxidants help to protect our bodies from compounds that can affect us if their levels increase. Antioxidant rich food can help to prevent diseases like Alzheimer’s and arthritis. Dill leaves consist of flavonoids, tannins and terpenoids. Flavonoids as mentioned above can help in the improvement of brain health. Tannins are a compound that produces a certain amount of bitterness in plant foods. Tannins have antimicrobial properties and can thus fight against harmful microorganisms.

Dill leaves can help in weight loss as they are packed with nutrients and antioxidants and have very few calories. They also help to reduce the triglycerides levels in our body along with bad cholesterol. You can add dill leaves in your morning drink or green tea that will help to burn fat. Just add a bunch of dill leaves in these drinks or even in just plain water and boil it for 5-6 minutes, strain the water and then drink it. The drink will help in digestion and will boost your metabolism levels.