Mustard Seeds and Greens as Part of a Healthy and Nutritious Diet

Mustard plants have been part of the human diet for thousands of years. The leaves make tasty salad greens and the ground seeds are used to make a hot and flavorful condiment. Mustard leaves and seeds are nutritious foods with important health benefits. It’s thought that the name “mustard” comes from the Latin words “mustum ardens”, which mean “burning must”. The name refers to the burning sensation produced by eating strong mustard, and to the unfermented grape juice, called must in English, which used to be added to the ground seeds to make the mustard.

The mustard plant belongs to the family of flowering plants called the Brassicaceae. Other members of this family include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, watercress, turnips, rutababaga, radishes, horseradish and wasabi. Members of the Brassicaceae family are also known as cruciferous plants.

Besides their good vitamin and mineral content, the main claim to fame of cruciferous vegetables from a nutritional point of view is their high level of glucosinolates. The glucosinolates are converted to other chemicals called isothiocyanates when the leaves or other plant parts are cut or ground. These isothiocyanates are thought to reduce our risk of developing cancer.

Mustard seeds are nutritious and tasty little packages and make an excellent addition to the diet. One tablespoon of the seeds provides a good selection of vitamins and minerals and is a very good source of selenium. The seeds also supply us with healthy fat and a little protein. The fat consists mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids but also contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in approximately equal amounts. Monounsaturated and omega-3 fatty acids have many beneficial effects in our bodies.

Mustard seeds are ground or crushed and mixed with vinegar or another liquid to make the familiar mustard condiment. If you like to eat healthy food it's a good idea to check the ingredients in a commercial mustard, or to make mustard yourself. There are some good mustard condiments for sale, but some contain artificial color to make the yellow appearance more intense, as well as other undesirable additives.

Seeds are most often obtained from three types of mustard plants: beige or yellow seeds from the white mustard plant (scientific name Sinapis alba), brown or yellow-brown seeds from the brown mustard plant (Brassica juncea) and black seeds from the black mustard plant (Brassica nigra). Yellow mustard seeds have the mildest flavor and are the type that makes most store-bought mustard. Dijon mustard is made from brown mustard seeds. Black mustard seeds are popular in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. They have the strongest flavor and produce the hottest sensation when eaten.

Mustard greens have a peppery taste and are good as a raw salad green or as a cooked vegetable. The raw greens are a fantastic source of vitamin K (with a one cup serving providing more than 100% of our daily requirement) and an excellent source of vitamin A (as beta carotene) and vitamin C. They are also a good source of folate and manganese, and a significant source of many other vitamins and minerals. Mustard leaves contain fiber and are very low in fat. If the greens are boiled water soluble nutrients will leave the leaves and dissolve in the water, so the boiling water shouldn’t be discarded.

Mustard plants grow wild in many areas. Some people like to collect these plants to eat. If you decide to do this, be very careful with your plant identification. Make sure that you are actually picking wild mustard and not some other plant that is poisonous. Also, as always when collecting wild plants to eat, make sure that they are not in an area contaminated by pesticides and pollutants, and that not all the plants in the area are picked.

Mustard plants are rich in the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that we need for good health. In addition, they are strongly suspected of reducing the risk of cancer development in humans.

When we chew mustard greens or grind mustard seeds an enzyme called myrosinase is released from the plant cells. This enzyme converts the plant's glucosinolates into isothiocyanates. Research with laboratory cell cultures and in animals has shown that isothiocyanates can stimulate the release of carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) from an animal’s body, cause cancerous cells to stop dividing or die and help the production of proteins that suppress tumor development.

Surveys in the human population have shown that there is a decreased risk of cancer in people who eat a lot of cruciferous vegetables, but it’s hard to prove that eating these vegetables is the factor that is actually responsible for the cancer decrease. However, the results of the research do suggest that eating mustard and its relatives is a very good idea!

Each type of cruciferous vegetable contains its own particular mixture of glucosinolates, and each kind of glucosinolate produces a particular kind of isothiocyanate, so for potential health benefits it’s best to eat a wide variety of plants in the Brassicaceae family, including mustard.

Prepared mustard can add a delicious taste to meals. If you're new to eating mustard start with a mild kind and use a small quantity. The isothiocyanates that are made when mustard seeds are broken are good for our health but are also responsible for the hot, tear-producing sensation that we experience when we eat the seeds. Eating a large amount of a strong mustard may burn and inflame the mouth and throat. It's good to "train" ourselves to eat mustard seeds and the milder mustard leaves, though, in order to experience their great health benefits.