Leafy Green Awesomeness

​The best way to give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs is eating a healthy diet which includes plenty of fruits and vegetables. The ones sometimes forgotten but are the most important include bunches of leafy greens. You know you need more leafy greens in your life. We all can benefit from them. This is because a diet of leafy greens packs a nutritional punch and have incredible health benefits.
 
When you eat green leafy vegetables, you can be confident you’re getting plenty of vitamins and minerals with each meal. You’re also guaranteeing getting a lot of fiber to help keep you feeling full and aid in digestion. Leafy greens are also rich in antioxidants, to help your body ward off illness.
 
But which leafy greens should you choose? And what can they do for your health? Here’s a list of leafy greens, and their specific benefits to make sure every meal has the greatest nutritional value.
 
The Five Best Greens for Your Health
 
1. Spinach
Spinach is an extremely versatile vegetable that is easy to consume raw or cooked. This leafy green is related to beets and quinoa, as they are all members of the amaranth family of perennial plants. Spinach is high in fiber and water, making it one of the best green leafy vegetables if you are counting calories. Spinach contains:
    - Folic Acid – An extremely important nutrient that supports cell growth, especially for babies in utero and pregnant women
    - Iron – Just as Popeye promised, iron supports your muscles by keeping blood oxygenated and boosting energy levels
    - Nitrate – The nitrate levels in spinach helps support heart health and decreasing stress on your arteries
 
2. Mustard Greens
Mustard greens have a pepper-like flavor but have a texture like spinach. This leafy green is an easy choice if you’re looking for a green to cook as a side dish or combine with other vegetables as a quick sauté. Mustard greens are great for your health because they contain:
    - Phytonutrients – Enzymes that are major players in the detoxification game and help keep your liver and colon healthy
    - Isothiocyanates – An agent with a large antioxidant role, which is key for lifelong nutrition and maintaining health
 
3. Kale
Kale is one of the best dark leafy greens to add to your diet with a low-calorie count and high nutrition content is. Any type of the family, curly kale, lacinato kale, or purple kale, these leafy greens are a slightly bitter and wildly beneficial member of the cruciferous family of vegetables. Kale is jam-packed with nutrition and considered one of the healthiest greens on earth! Kale is a powerful source of:
    - Vitamin K – One cup of kale has seven times the daily nutritional intake of vitamin K, an important nutrient that helps your blood clot and helps increase bone density
    - Beta-Carotene – Known to benefit eyesight, beta-carotene is an anti-oxidant that converts to vitamin A to help support new tissue growth and healing
    - Cholesterol-fighting properties – Kale, like many cruciferous vegetables, can help lower LDL fat known as contributing to “bad” cholesterol levels
    - Vitamin C – Vitamin C is famous for boosting your immune system but also helps prevent the breakdown of collagen in your skin
 
4. Arugula
Arugula (sometimes also referred to as roquette) is a delicious fresh fiber addition to any salad bowl. Fast growing and a slightly spicy flavor, arugula is one of the most nutritious greens you can add to your salads because of these minerals:
    - Calcium – Calcium helps support bone density and heart health
  - Magnesium – Magnesium helps to regulate your blood pressure and works in conjunction with calcium to support bone density
 
5. Collard Greens
These leafy greens are thick and tough when eaten raw, and therefore require the longest cooking time out of the leafy greens featured here but are a staple in southern households. They are part of the Brassica group of leafy vegetables and are similar to a cabbage-like texture. Collard greens are high in:
    - Fiber – All leafy greens have plenty of fiber, but collards have some of the highest fiber content. Increasing the amount of fiber you eat can help keep blood sugar and cholesterol levels healthy, as well as boosting your gut health
    - Alpha-Lipoic acid – This powerful antioxidant that has shown in studies to help promote healthy blood sugar levels.
 
These are just a few of the great leafy greens – there are so many more that are great sources of nutrition (hello, cabbage, Swiss chard, and sorrel!). You really can’t go wrong with any green leafy vegetables you choose. Challenge yourself to try new leafy greens every time you go to the market, ask us how about our favorites and mix up your preparation methods to keep things interesting!

Sources
- Palafox-Carlos H, Ayala-Zavala JF, González-Aguilar GA. The role of dietary fiber in the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of fruit and vegetable antioxidants. J Food Sci. 2011;76(1):R6-R15.
- Sommerburg O, Keunen JE, Bird -  AC, van Kuijk FJ. Fruits and vegetables that are sources for lutein and zeaxanthin: the macular pigment in human eyes. Br J Ophthalmol. 1998;82(8):907-10.
- Berg MJ. The importance of folic acid. J Gend Specif Med. 1999 May-Jun;2(3):24-8.
- Gibson QH, Harrison DC. Blood haemoglobin: the relationship between oxygen capacity and iron content of blood in men and women. Biochem J. 1946;40(2):247-9
​ - Jovanovski E, Bosco L, Khan K, et al. Effect of Spinach, a High Dietary Nitrate Source, on Arterial Stiffness and Related Hemodynamic Measures: A Randomized, Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults. Clin Nutr Res. 2015;4(3):160-7.