Eating California Endive is good and good for you! Endive is a versatile performer in the kitchen, enhancing hors d'oeuvres, starring in salads, and playing a strong supporting role as a hot side dish or component of the main dish. And, endive is a nutritional powerhouse: fat, sodium, and cholesterol free, very low in calories, and loaded with valuable vitamins and minerals. Learn more about endive's rich history as a healthy food and its total compatibility with today's dietary guidelines. Then, go to our Recipe Library and find some delicious new ways to enjoy California Endive.

Endive is the second growth of the chicory root, and the powerful array of mineral elements that end up in the endive (including potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and selenium) are translocated from the root, which spends its first growing season foraging deep in the soil.

Chicory was cultivated as early as 5000 years ago by Egyptians as a medicinal plant. The Egyptians, as well as the Greeks and Romans who came after them, used chicory as a vegetable and in salads, and believed that it was a liver tonic, sedative and appetite stimulant. There are references to chicory in the ancient writings of Horace, Virgil, Ovid, and Pliny, and Galenus called it "Friend of the Liver" for its reputed stimulating effect.

Today, endive is universally recognized as a good source of beta-carotene, which the body converts into Vitamin A. Beta-carotene is widely regarded as an effective antioxidant and immune system booster. It has also been helpful in lowering homocysteine levels - an elevated homocysteine level is a risk factor for heart disease. And, eating more foods rich in beta-carotene has been associated with a lower risk of both cataracts and macular degeneration.

Endive is also a good source of heart-healthy potassium, with one average-sized head of endive delivering over 50% of the potassium found in a banana. And, endive delivers significant levels of vitamins B and C, as well as folate and selenium.

Endive's ongoing reputation as a digestive aid is well founded. The vegetable contains complex fibers (cellulose and hemicellulose) which promote regularity, help prevent the absorption of cholesterol into the blood stream, slow food metabolism and thus keep blood sugar in balance, and help with the removal of toxins from the digestive tract.

All of these findings resonate with modern herbalists, who believe that chicory increases bile production, moderates a rapid heart rate, lowers cholesterol, and destroys bacteria. And research into the benefits of chicory continues: a recent Korean study indicated that chicory reduces cholesterol levels and increases the ratio of HDL ("good" cholesterol) to LDL ("bad" cholesterol) in the blood of tested animals. And, a Belgian study showed that chicory ingredients are helpful in preventing osteoporosis in humans, and show promise "in the prevention and inhibition of colon and breast cancer" in tested animals.

The following nutritional analysis of endive is re-printed from the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 17 (2004):

Chicory, witloof, raw
NDB No: 11151

Nutrient	Units	Value*
Proximates
Water	g	94.52
Energy	kcal	17
Energy	kj	71
Protein	g	0.90
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.10
Ash	g	0.47
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	4.00
Fiber, total dietary	g	3.1
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	mg	19
Iron, Fe	mg	0.24
Magnesium, Mg	mg	10
Phosphorus, P	mg	26
Potassium, K	mg	211
Sodium, Na	mg	2
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.16
Copper, Cu	mg	0.051
Manganese, Mn	mg	0.100
Selenium, Se	mcg	0.2
Vitamins
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	2.8
Thiamin	mg	0.062
Riboflavin	mg	0.027
Niacin	mg	0.160
Pantothenic acid	mg	0.145
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.042
Folate, total	mcg	37
Folic acid	mcg	0
Folate, food	mcg	37
Folate, DFE	mcg DFE	37
Vitamin B-12	mcg	0.00
Vitamin A, IU	IU	29
Vitamin A, RAE	mcg RAE	1
Retinol	mcg	0

* per 100 grams of edible portion

Another excellent source of nutritional information on endive and chicory is the website for Publix markets. You’ll find "Belgian endive" endive in the Food & Nutrition Center.