Sherilyn and Baby have weird taste buds. I say weird as they love eating several pungent food that most kids will never even want to try. Of all the vegetables, they love ‘yim sai’ (Chinese parsley). They love sprinkling heaps of chopped Chinese parsley and spring onions onto their porridge. And I’m very glad that they love Chinese parsley as it is chokeful of nutrients and health benefits.

Sherilyn’s bowl of chicken porridge, heavily topped with chopped Chinese parsley and spring onions…

… enjoying her bowl of good stuff!

Monkey see monkey do… Baby also followed suit and threw in a handful of Chinese parsley into her bowl of porridge…

Food For Thought:
Article extracted from http://herbs.ygoy.com/2010/01/29/what-is-cilantro-health-benefits-of-cilantro/

Cilantro is also called as “Chinese parsley”, is the name of the coriander plant, but both plant and seeds are traditionally called as coriander. Many people who use cilantro are not aware of the other herb and refers the entire plant as cilantro. Cilantro is another herb and is some times mistaken for coriander leaves. Coriander plant belongs to the Apiaceae family.

Health benefits of Cilantro:
Cilantro and coriander leaves have several health benefits and everyday researchers are finding more benefits.

# This is an anti inflammatory and alleviates the arthritis symptoms.
# Prevents nausea.
# Lowers blood sugar levels.
# Protects from Salmonella bacteria. It is very effective than the antibiotic drug, gentamicin in killing Salmonella.
# Protects against infections of urinary tract (good for Cassandra!).
# Relieves from intestinal gas.
# Good source of iron.
# Aids indigestion and helps in settling stomach and prevent flatulence.
# Rich in flavonoids and phytonutrients.
# Excellent source for dietary fiber.
# It works as a natural chellation treatment. It also gives a great support to dental problems.
# Good source of magnesium.
# Lowers bad cholesterol levels and increases good cholesterol levels.
# It fights against the free radicals and inflammation.
# It also has antimicrobial properties.
# It is also a natural cleansing agent.
# It is used to remove toxic agents and other heavy metals from the body.

After finding out that Chinese Parsley is such a powerful plant, I think I’m going to include lots of it into our porridge and dishes from now onwards, just like my mil who is a big fan of it!