Fresh Basil – Nutritional Information
Item: Fresh Basil
Category: Spices and Herbs
Scientific name: Ocimum basilicum
Refuse: 36% (values below are for edible portion)
Serving size analysed: 2.5g, 5 leaves
Intro: We have finished with soups for now, we are going to start looking at herbs instead and today we start off with basil. Basil is actually in the Lamiaceae family which is mints, but of course this doesn’t taste of mint! It is originally from India (and is believed to have been cultivated for 5,000 years or more) but features more prominently in the cuisine of countries like Italy, Thailand and Vietnam. There are many different varieties and hybrids of this culinary herb nowadays, and you can find sweet basil, lemon basil, Thai basil and even holy basil which are all subtly different.
Typically you will find this herb added to hot dishes like pasta bakes and meat dishes, casseroles etc, however apparently in some countries they also add the leaves to ice cream and chocolate recipes which gives the product a very unique taste. If you do use it when cooking a hot dish though then you should know that you only add this towards the very end as cooking will destroy the flavor quickly, also be aware dried basil only has a very weak taste, but the fresh leaves are more potent.
| Overview: | |
| Calories: | 0 |
| Water: | 2.27g |
| Carbs: | 0.11g |
| Protein: | 0.06g |
| Fiber: | 0.10g |
| Total Fat: | 0.02g |
| Saturated Fat: | 0.00g |
| Trans-fats: | Not known (or 0) |
| Minerals: | |
| Calcium: | 3.85mg |
| Iron: | 0.08mg |
| Magnesium: | 2.03mg |
| Phosphorus: | 1.73mg |
| Potassium: | 11.55mg |
| Sodium: | 0.10mg |
| Zinc: | 0.02mg |
| Copper: | 0.01mg |
| Manganese: | 0.04mg |
| Selenium: | 0.01mcg |
| Vitamins: | |
| Vitamin A: | 131.88IU |
| Thiamine (B1): | 0.00mg |
| Riboflavin (B2): | 0.00mg |
| Niacin (B3): | 0.02mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5): | 0.01mg |
| Vitamin B6: | 0.00mg |
| Folic acid/Folate (B9): | 1.60mcg |
| Vitamin B12: | 0.00mcg |
| Vitamin C: | 0.45mg |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol): | Not known |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone): | 10.37mcg |
| Essential Amino Acids: | |
| Isoleucine: | 0.00g |
| Leucine: | 0.00g |
| Lysine: | 0.00g |
| Methionine: | 0.00g |
| Phenylalanine: | 0.00g |
| Threonine: | 0.00g |
| Tryptophan: | 0.00g |
| Valine: | 0.00g |
| Miscellaneous: | |
| Alcohol: | 0.00g |
| Caffeine: | Not known |
Footnotes:
None
Source:
These nutrition facts for fresh basil were kindly provided by…
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.
USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 22. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
…under a PD license.
Information provide for entertainment purposes only and should not be relied upon to be accurate, please visit the USDA database for the full record.
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