If you think Arugula is a Mediterranean village off the coast of Italy, then you should really give dark leafy greens another chance.
Dark green salads, such as romaine, spinach, and kale are wonderfully versatile and tasty, in addition to containing tons of beneficial vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, C, B6, and K, and folate, iron, calcium, and magnesium.
Green veggies are also high in fiber, which is great for your digestive system.
What’s in it for me?
Overall good health
The virtues of green salad vegetables are too numerous to mention, but here are just a few:
Including a variety of dark green salads in your daily diet is a recommended course of action for optimum overall health, as they are high in antioxidants and carotenoids.
In addition, because salads are high in fiber, they help to quickly and efficiently remove toxins from your body before they have a chance to do you any harm.
Avoid getting Type 2 diabetes
According to a publication in the British Medical Journal, eating spinach regularly improves your insulin response; this is due to its high magnesium content.
Type 2 Diabetes Often Undetected- Do You Have These Symptoms?
Heart-healthy
The Harvard Public School of Public Health announced that eating one serving of dark salad leaves improves heart health by 23%.
Anti-aging benefits
When combined with vitamin B12, the folate that occurs naturally in salad greens boosts memory retention in people with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of brain atrophy caused by old age.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Promotes healthy skin
Eating nutrients containing vitamin A is like getting a facial from within. Vitamin A benefits the skin by curbing acne flare-ups, improving skin elasticity, and removing toxins.
Vitamin B12 for Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails
Prevents birth defects
Folate is one of the most vital nutrients for women who are either pregnant, nursing, or trying to conceive.
It is essential for proper development of the nervous system; deficiencies in folate are linked to several types of birth defects.
Folic Acid and B12: Your Nerves Need Both to Thrive
Did you know…?
Always pair leafy greens with some form of healthy oil. The vitamins in salad greens are oil-soluble, meaning if you don’t sprinkle some olive oil on them, then you’re missing out on a powerhouse of nutrients. So say bye-bye to that fat-free salad dressing. You didn’t really like it, anyways.
The most popular way of preparing salad greens is…
in a salad, of course, but there are many other great greens recipes.
Make yourself a healthy low-carb gyro– just substitute a few large leaves of romaine or Swiss chard for the pita, choose your fillings, and that’s a wrap!
Kale holds up well in Chinese stir-fry.
Spinach makes a tasty addition to soups and casseroles.
Some people still enjoy eating their greens “old school.” That is, the way their grandma’s grandma ate them- stewed or steamed, mustard, collard, or turnip greens.
The top ten
Here is a list of the ten greenest of the greens. Try one today!
Mustard Greens
Watercress
Arugula
Dandelion Greens
Collard Greens
Swiss Chard
Spinach
Romaine Lettuce
Kale
Turnip greens
Related Reading:
Ten Bites to Better Brain Power
8 Rockin’ Meatless Grill Recipes for Memorial’s Day
Sources:
Top 5 Reasons to Eat Your Green Leafy Vegetables
Leafy Greens — Ranked and Rated