In school, we were all taught what kind of food we should eat and how it should always be a balance. However, one of the most important food categories is also the one that gets the least attention! The value of leafy greens cannot be overstated, and yet, they don’t even have their own food group – instead they are lumped together with other produce as a vegetable. Make no mistake, adding more leafy greens to your diet will have a profound affect on your health!
Leafy green vegetables like kale, collards and Swiss chard are full of vitamins, minerals, and an array of disease-fighting phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are a group of substances found in plant based foods that are known to combat everything from heart disease to cancer. Additionally, the greens that most of us refuse to eat are rich in fiber, which is another under appreciated nutrient that aids in fat loss. Fiber not only makes us feel full and helps us control our hunger but it can also lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure. Eating leafy greens even lowers your risk of developing Type-2 diabetes.
If you are ready to start adding more greens to your dinner plate, consider kale, collards, turnip greens, Swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli, Romaine lettuce, and different cabbages. They are all good sources of vitamins A, C, and K. Vitamin A is an immune system booster that increases cell strength and resistance to bacteria and viruses. Vitamin C helps us prevent cataracts and macular degeneration or in lay man’s terms, eye damage. Vitamin K works to take calcium from the foods you eat and bonds it to your bones, strengthen them.
Those are just the very few of the many benefits of eating leafy green vegetables. You can eat them in salads, sautee them with olive oil, garlic, and a little salt, or you can create “green smoothies”! However you choose to eat them, adding more leafy greens to your diet is a move in the right direction.
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