Rocket
Introduction
Rocket is a leafy green vegetable (a salad leaf) belonging to the Brassicaceae family, often eaten raw in salads or added as a fresh garnish; it can also be lightly wilted or briefly cooked to soften its flavour. Distinctive for its vibrant, deep green leaves and irregular, lobed shape, rocket’s pungent, peppery taste comes from glycosylates and other sulphur-containing compounds produced as natural defence chemicals.
Nutritionally, rocket is low in calories and provides dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K and folate, with smaller amounts of vitamin A (as beta‑carotene), calcium, potassium and iron; it also contains beneficial phytochemicals such as glycosylates and antioxidants.
Nutrition Snapshot per 100g
Kcal nn kcal
Protein nn g | nn %
Fat nn g | nn %
Carbohydrates nn g | nn %
Percentages reflect this food’s Balance*
Fibre nn g
Total Sugars nn g
Saturated Fat nn g
Salt nn mg
Nutritional values are per 100g and sourced from UK CoFID data.
Carbohydrates value includes Fibre (AOAC method).
Carbohydrates value includes Total Sugars including naturally occurring sugars such as glucose, fructose, lactose or sucrose.
Balance*
The Balance value expresses how protein, carbohydrate and fat contribute to a food’s total energy.
Using CoFID data per 100g, each macronutrient is converted into energy using the standard Atwater convention (protein × 4 kcal, carbohydrate × 4 kcal, fat × 9 kcal). The energy from each macronutrient is then calculated as a percentage of the total macro energy.
This provides a simple way to see whether a food is predominantly carbohydrate-based, protein-based or fat-based.
It does not determine whether a food is “good” or “bad”, but helps visualise its macronutrient profile within a broader eating pattern.
When assessing a full meal or daily intake, portion sizes should be taken into account.
Why this matters
Understanding the structure of individual foods can help you make more confident decisions when adjusting to a health diagnosis or long-term condition.
If you are organising meals, tracking intake or reflecting on patterns, you may find the Aardelia digital journals helpful.