Leafy Greens – Your Mother Was Right

Popeye wasn't just a man with muscles. He was a man with brains, too. He knew the power of leafy greens could get him out of a jam in a flash. (Okay, he was just a cartoon character... but you get the idea!)

Going Green - A Whole New Meaning

Leafy green vegetables rule the roost in the vegetable kingdom. Nothing against rutabagas or cucumbers, but leafy greens have the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. ¹ That's enough to make any vegetable feel superior!

The Power of Green

Just check in with a bowl of greens and you'll find they are brimming with vital nutrients that provide a variety of health, growth and fertility benefits.

Your Liver's Favorite Color is Green

Livers love greens because they're amazing detoxifiers. If you want to cleanse your liver, eat your greens!

A Lean, Mean, Green Machine

Just to give you an idea of how important they are to include in our diets at every meal...
, this is a sample of what you can expect with every bite of green goodness:

• Fiber - A leader in blood sugar regulation, blood cholesterol regulation and bowel function.
• Protein - Perfect for vegetarians! Who wouldn't rather have a side of escarole than a tofu cutlet?
• Calcium - That's right, leafy greens are an excellent source of calcium. Cows will rejoice everywhere!
• Vitamin A - Better to see you with, my dear. Vitamin A is essential for vision and bone growth.
• B Vitamins - Vital for human health and nourishes the nervous system.
• Vitamin C - Powerful antioxidants to supercharge the immune system. Great for strong muscles, bones and skin, too!
• Vitamin K - Just what you're looking for to help support the healing process. Leafy greens are your best source of vitamin K1 but vitamin K2 is synthesized in your gut by microflora. So eat greens and a probiotic diet together for both forms.
• Iron - Fit for a strongman, this mineral aids in immune function, cognitive development, temperature regulation, energy metabolism and work performance.
• Chlorophyll - Scan through your notes from your third grade science class and you'll be reminded that chlorophyll is what makes leaves green. Chlorophyll provides oxygen that's necessary for the healthy bacteria in your gut to grow and flourish. Go chlorophyll!

Experts Agree, Green is the Color for All Seasons!

Much research has been done on the benefits of greens. Take a look at what has been found when greens are put to the test:

• Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that individuals who eat leafy greens had a 23% reduction in coronary heart disease.
• Scientists found that a diet rich in leafy green vegetables actually showed a significant reduction in the chance of developing colon cancer.
• Research shows that folate, one of the impressive B Vitamins in greens, may protect against cognitive decline in older adults .
• Studies found that caratenoids (powerful antioxidants) in green leafy vegetables can inhibit the growth of certain types of breast cancer cells, skin cancer cells, lung cancer and stomach cancer.Doesn't it make you want to have a plateful of broccoli rabe right now?
• Another study showed that women who ate the most leafy greens had half the risk of ovarian cancer compared to those who ate the least. Half!! Pile them on!

The Greener the Leaf, the Greater the Good

The darker the green in edible plants, the more nutrients they hold. Choose those that are lusciously deep in color and mix them with a variety of shades, textures and tastes for the perfect balance of vitamins and minerals.

"Greens are the No. 1 food you can eat regularly to help improve your health," says Jill Nussinow, MS, RD, a culinary educator in Northern California and the author of The Veggie Queen. That's because leafy vegetables are brimming with fiber along with vitamins, minerals, and plant-based substances that may help protect you from heart disease, diabetes, and perhaps even cancer. Even so, Americans are not eating as many vegetables each day as dietary experts recommend. I encourage you to put more leafy vegetables on your plate.

1. Kale: This nutrition powerhouse "offers everything you want in a leafy green," says Nussinow, who gave it her first-place ranking. It's an excellent source of vitamins A C, and K, has a good amount of calcium for a vegetable, and also supplies folate and potassium. Kale's ruffle-edged leaves may range in color from cream to purple to black depending on the variety.
   Before cooking with kale, collards, turnips, and chard, Nussinow recommends swishing the greens in a water-filled sink, draining the sink, then repeating this rinse until the leaves are dirt-free. Her favorite cooking method for these four greens is to rub the leaves in olive oil or tahini (sesame paste) and cook them for five minutes with garlic, olive oil, and broth.
2.  Collards: Used in Southern-style cooking, collard greens are similar in nutrition to kale. But they have a heartier and chewier texture and a stronger cabbage-like taste. "Collards are an under-appreciated vegetable and most people don't know about them," suggests Nussinow. She says they're also popular with the raw food movement because the wide leaves are used as a wrapper instead of tortillas or bread. Down South, collards are typically slow cooked with either a ham hock or smoked turkey leg. A half cup has 25 calories.
3. Turnip greens: "If you buy turnips with the tops on, you get two vegetables in one," Nussinow tells WebMD. Turnip leaves are another Southern favorite traditionally made with pork. More tender than other greens and needing less cooking, this sharp-flavored leaf is low in calories yet loaded with vitamins A,C, and K as well as calcium.
4. Swiss chard: With red stems, stalks, and veins on its leaves, Swiss chard has a beet-like taste and soft texture that's perfect for sauteeing. Both Swiss chard and spinach contain oxalates, which are slightly reduced by cooking and can bind to calcium, a concern for people prone to kidney stones. Chard contains 15 calories in one-half cup and is a good source of vitamins A and C. Nussinow likes to make a sweet-and-sour chard by adding raisins and vinegar to the cooked greens.
5. Spinach: Popeye's favorite vegetable has 20 calories per serving, plus it's packed with vitamins A and C, as well as folate. And because heat reduces the green's oxalate content, freeing up its dietary calcium, "cooked spinach gives you more nutrition than raw," says Nussinow. Spinach leaves can be cooked quickly in the water that remains on them after rinsing, or they can be eaten raw in salads. Bags of frozen chopped spinach are more convenient to use than block kinds, and this mild-flavored vegetable can be added to soups, pasta dishes, and casseroles.
6. Mustard greens: Another Southern green with a similar nutrition profile to turnip leaves and collards, mustard greens have scalloped edges and come in red and green varieties. They have a peppery taste and give off a mustardy smell during cooking. Their spiciness can be toned down by adding an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, toward the end of cooking, suggests Nussinow. Cooked mustard greens have 10 calories in one-half cup.
7. Broccoli: With 25 calories a serving, broccoli is rich in vitamin C and is also a good source of vitamin A, potassium, and folate. Americans eat about 6 pounds of it a year. Its stalks and florets add both crunch and color to stir-fries. While some kids may call this veggie "trees," they often like it best raw or steamed with a yogurt-based dip. Nussinow mixes fresh broccoli into her pasta during the last three minutes of cooking so both are ready at the same time.
8. Bok Choy: An Asian specialty, you usually find bok choy in a stir-fry, though this veggie – with its thick, white stalks and dark green leaves, can also be added to salads, soups or eaten solo (steam first). Healthy Bites: A half-cup of cooked bok choy is about 20 calories, but offers a whopping 144 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin A and 74 percent of vitamin C. Its leaves and stalks are also stocked with calcium, magnesium, potassium and folate. Prep Tips: Similar to cabbage, bok choy remains crisp, even when cooked to a tender stage (which is why it is great for a stir-fry). Chop up the leaves and steam or boil, then add seasonings like soy sauce, ginger or hot pepper. You can also eat the slightly-sweet and crunchy stalks raw.
9. Red and Green Leaf and Romaine Lettuce: A familiar sight in salad bowls, these lettuces are high in vitamin A and offer some folate. Leaf lettuces have a softer texture than romaine, a crunchy variety used in Caesar salads. Fans of Iceberg lettuce may go for romaine, a crispy green that's better for you. Nussinow points out "the darker the lettuce leaf, the more nutrition it has," making red leaf slightly healthier than green. If you don't drown lettuce in a creamy dressing, one cup contains 10 calories.
10. Cabbage: Although paler in color than other leafy greens, this cruciferous vegetable is a great source of cancer-fighting compounds and vitamin C. Nussinow considers thisversatile green "the workhorse of the kitchen." Available in red and green varieties, cabbage can be cooked, added raw to salads or stir fries, shredded into a slaw, or made into sauerkraut. It's also a staple of St. Patrick's Day boiled suppers and can give off a strong smell when cooking. One-half cup cooked has 15 calories.
11. Iceberg Lettuce: This bland-tasting head lettuce is mostly water. But it's the country's most popular leafy green and each of us eats about 17 pounds of iceberg a year. While tops in consumption, it's last on our list for its health benefits. "It's not devoid of all nutrition, but it's pretty close," Nussinow tells WebMD. Although we're eating less iceberg than we did two decades ago, it's still a common ingredient. "It can be a starter green," says Nussinow, to draw people into a broader array of salad greens.

Quick and Easy Recipe Ideas:

Dark green vegetables are very tasty and easy to add to your daily meals. Look for them at your local grocery store and try some of these recipes!

• Make a salad: Leafy greens such as romaine lettuce, spinach and arugula taste great when mixed in a salad with different kinds of veggies, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and lettuce.
• Wrap it up: Make a wrap with tuna, chicken, or turkey and add romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula, and other veggies for some extra flavor.
• Add to a soup: Try mixing leafy greens such as collard greens, kale, bok choy or mustard greens into your favorite soup.
• Stir-fry: Add chopped leafy greens like bok choy or broccoli to your stir-fry. Chicken stir-fried with olive or canola oil and your favorite dark green vegetable is delicious!
• Steam it: Try steaming collard greens, kale, or spinach. Add water to a pot and place a steamer with the vegetables into it. Next, bring the water to a simmer, cover with a lid, and wait a few minutes until your vegetables are slightly soft.