Health Benefits of Leafy Green Vegetables
By Jigna Mehta
Leafy green vegetables have great nutritional value that includes
vitamincs A,C, E, and K and antioxidants that helps slow down or prevent damage
to our cells. Some examples include collard green, dark green leafy lettuce,
spinach, and kale.
What is the serving size?
1 cup raw and 1/2 cup cooked vegetables equals 1 serving size
How do we incorporate them into our diet?
- Salad with low fat dressing
- Bake them into crispy chips such as baked kale chips
- Cook them with herbs and spices as side dishes
- Consume them in a green smoothie form
- Whole wheat pasta or home made pizza with finely chopped spinach or kale
- Add them to sopys, sandwiches, or wraps
- Lightly stir fry them or steam them
How to conserve the most nutrients or increase the absorption?
- Do not cook these vegetables with closed lids to conserve the color
- Do not use any baking soda – it alters the color of the vegetables
- These vegetables do get cooked very fast, try to avoid overcooking them
- You can maximize the absorption of nutrients if these vegetables are cooked with Vitamin C rich foods — Spinach could be cooked with tomatoes or lime juice
,or a spinach salad can be consumed with a glass of 100% orange juice.
Read more about leafy green vegetables and their health benefits here!
Salad Recipe – Cranberry Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb baby spinach
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup 100% orange juice
- 1/8 tsp black pepper powder
Directions
- In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach with the roasted flaked almonds and cranberries
- In a medium bowl, whisk white wine vinegar, olive oil, and black pepper power
- Toss everything together right before serving
Category: Nutrition