Eat Your Greens
By Joanie in Health Tips, Lifestyle Tips on 28 October 2020
Making sure you eat plenty of greens isone of the best ways to improve your health and keep your body protected from diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. This is because aportion (about a cup) of greens will provide you with a plethora of health benefits including fibre, vitamins, minerals and plenty of antioxidants. By ensuring that you eat greens every day, your body will feel more satisfied since its getting the essential nutrients that each cell requires to function properly.
So which green vegetables should you eat?
There are many leafy greens you can eat. Here is a list of the healthiest greens commonly available:
- Kale: It contains almost all the goodness leafy greens can offer. Kale is rich in vitamins A, C, and K, calcium, folate, potassium, and fiber. It protects the heart and may even help to prevent or slow down cancer.
- Collards: Collards contain nutritional value very similar to Kale.
- Green leaf, Red leaf, and Romaine lettuce: These are full of vitamin A and folate. The darker the leaves are more nutritious they are.
- Turnip greens: The tops of turnips are low in calories, and are loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, and calcium.
- Swiss Chard: These vegetables have a beet-like taste and a soft texture. They contain a healthy amount of vitamins A and C.
- Broccoli: It is rich in vitamins C and A, potassium, folate, fiber, protein, and iron. Broccoli also contain cancer-fighting sulforaphane.
- Spinach: Spinach is rich in folate, vitamins A and C.
- Mustard greens: These greens have a similar nutrition profile to turnip and collards.
- Cabbage: This vegetable is an excellent source of vitamin C and cancer-fighting compounds.
- Small leafy greens, like cilantro, parsley, mint, spearmint, sage, thyme, and fenugreek: These herbs are potent in nutrients similar to the large leafy greens noted above.
SO GO ON THEN, EAT GREENS FOR YOUR HEALTH!
Green leafy vegetables are an important part of our daily diet, and with so many varieties available, it’s easy to add them to your plate. Always choose crispy leaves with a fresh green colour to ensure you are getting all the nutrients they have to offer.