I love to use herbs and spices in everything from infused water to breakfast sausage since they are full of nutrients and flavor that make any dish healthier and more appealing. Fennel is an herb and spice that can offer a burst of flavor to many recipes (not to mention health benefits!) but many skip it in the garden or grocery store.
Here’s why you should give fennel a chance and work it into your seasonal meal rotation.
Fennel is a vegetable many people are unfamiliar with but may recognize the taste from Greek, Italian, and French food.
The stalks are topped with feathery green leaves called (similar to dill) fennel fronds. It has a crunchy texture (like celery) and tastes like licorice or anise (sometimes it’s mistaken for anise or mislabeled in the grocery store). All parts of fennel are edible.
Traditionally, fennel was used widely in traditional and ancient medicine as well as cuisine because of its many health benefits.
In Greek mythology, fennel is associated with Dionysus, the Greek god of food and wine. A fennel stalk stuffed with coal was said to brought knowledge from the gods to humans. This isn’t how I recommend trying fennel, but it’s interesting to know! 🙂
So why branch out and try something new? Fennel brings a lot to the table that other vegetables don’t, in terms of both flavor and nutrition!
Fennel contains vitamin C which is important for many functions in the body, including immune function. Vitamin C also helps support healthy hair and skin by encouraging collagen formation.
Fennel contains a number of other nutrients as well:
Fennel also contains antioxidants that support healthy heart, immune, and metabolic health.
Consuming fennel may help support healthy blood in the body. Anemia is a condition where there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body. Fennel might be able to help.
One well-established study found that the amino acid histidine along with iron helps build hemoglobin faster than iron alone. Fennel contains both iron and the amino acid histidine, so adding fennel to the diet may help support red blood cell production.
Fennel contains a good amount of fiber which we all know is important for a healthy heart (and digestion too!). But there are other nutrients in fennel that can support heart health.
The potassium in fennel may support healthy blood pressure. According to a 2006 study, potassium can support healthy blood pressure, though it takes about 4 weeks to have an effect. Potassium helps the body eliminate excess sodium (which can be a problem for some people with high blood pressure).
Additionally, eating fennel may support healthy cholesterol and triglycerides. Those who consumed fennel had slightly more favorable cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The researchers call for a longer duration study to confirm these results.
Ancient medicine has used fennel to support healthy digestion and avoid bloating. Luckily, modern science supports this use.
Studies show that many spices, including fennel, shorten the length of digestion time. This is one reason I use it in tea for nausea, constipation, or bloating.
Interestingly, plants that are aromatic, pungent, and bitter are most likely to help with digestion. Plants that fit this category include:
This explains why folk medicine recommends chewing fennel seeds after a meal to help with digestion.
Ancient medicine used fennel to help breastfeeding moms and babies. Fennel has been used to calm baby’s tummy and soothe colic. A 2003 study found that fennel oil had a better effect on colic in babies than the placebo.
It can also be added to lactation cookies to boost milk supply as it’s a well-known galactagogue (food that boosts milk supply).
Another amazing benefit of fennel is that it may help support healthy cells in the body. Cancer occurs when cells in the body grow in unhealthy ways and the body can’t get rid of those cells. Many healthy foods have compounds that help support healthy cells, and fennel is one of them.
A study published in Phytomedicine found that fennel may combat cancer cell growth and encourage cancer cell death. Researchers believe that anethole (an oil found in fennel) helped lower the inflammation that leads to cancer.
Since fresh fennel is such a nutritious food with many health benefits, I try to include it in my meals regularly. If you love fennel as I do, you want as many recipes with fennel as you can find!
Here are some of my favorite ways to use fennel in recipes to enjoy its licorice flavor:
Fennel is a great breakfast vegetable sauteed or chopped and added to a dish. Here are some ideas:
Fennel is a great flavor for early morning meals to wake up the senses!
If you’re bored with the same recipes over and over, try adding some fennel to liven up the flavor. Here are some of my favorite main courses with fennel:
If you have a favorite Mediterranean recipe, try adding some fennel bulb or seed to spice it up.
Fennel is also great in salads and side dishes. Here are my favorite ways to eat it:
Roasted fennel can also be added to any salad and topped with a vinaigrette for a quick meal.
If you’ve been hanging around Wellness Mama for a while, you know I think a healthy diet is often the first step toward improved health. That’s because the body needs nutrients to function optimally. Fennel is a tasty vegetable that contains many nutrients that support a healthy body. Try one of these recipes and see for yourself.
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Shani Muhammad, MD, board certified in family medicine and has been practicing for over ten years. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor or work with a doctor at SteadyMD.