Artichokes are a European staple with more than 40 varieties in existence. The delicate and delicious vegetable is actually an unopened flower bud from a thistle-like plant called Cynara scolymus.

The vegetable flowers are picked and eaten before they turn into a “real” flower and consists of three parts. The overlapping outer leaves are tough and inedible at the tip, but fleshy and tender at the base, the inedible choke, or thistle, which is enclosed within a light-colored cone of immature leaves, and the round, firm-fleshed base called the "heart".

Artichokes are rich in fiber, magnesium and vitamin C, as well as a phytonutrient called luteolin that may help to reduce cholesterol.

Glycemic Index=15
Glycemic Load=0
Antioxidant Score (ORAC)=6,552