From a young age, you’ve no doubt been encouraged to eat your greens. Whether it was broccoli, spinach, or green beans, your mom probably made you eat some sort of green vegetables every day.
You may have hated eating them, even when your parents tried to convince you they were full of vitamins and minerals. Now, you understand the importance of eating these green vegetables.
Maybe nutritional powerhouses like kale, broccoli, and spinach are even regularly found in your fridge nowaday. And even not this one listed here you eat some regularly.
Incorporating leafy green vegetables into your daily diet helps improve your health. They can help reduce the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases, as well as control blood sugar levels.
Which green vegetables are the best to include in your diet? Here are some of the best kinds of leafy greens to consume:
- Collard Greens
These loose-leaf vegetables taste bitter, but they’re packed with a lot of nutrients. They belong to the same family as kale.
Collard greens contain Vitamin C, B9, A, and K, as well as calcium.
- Kale
Kale greens pack so many nutrients and are one of the most popular green vegetables.
Not only does it contain various vitamins and minerals, but kale also contains lutein and beta-carotene. These antioxidants counter the effects of oxidative stress in the body.
What is oxidative stress? This occurs when the body experiences an imbalance of antioxidants and free radicals. If not countered, it can result in cell and tissue damage.
- Spinach
Spinach doesn’t just make Popeye strong, it also makes anyone who eats it strong and healthy.
This unassuming green can be added into smoothies, soups, and salads. You’ll love eating it because it contains Vitamin K and A, as well as manganese and folate.
What is folate? Also known as Vitamin B6, this nutrient assists in cell growth and red blood cell production.
- Turnip Greens
These are the leaves of a turnip plant and classified as cruciferous, which means they can help lower the risk of developing health issues like bowel inflammation and cardiovascular diseases.
They also contain various antioxidants to help the body fight off the effects of oxidative stress.
Other leafy green vegetables to include in your daily meals include arugula, watercress, Romaine lettuce, Bok Choy, and Swiss chard, although not everyone finds green vegetables appetizing.
But now another category of greens is becoming an integral part of a healthy diet: super greens.
What Are Super Greens?
Green foods grown in water such as micro-algae spirulina and wheatgrass are gaining massively in popularity and for good reason. Although small in size, they pack a huge punch with an astonishingly high concentration of nutrients.
These types of greens are often known as super greens.
Here are some of the benefits of super greens:
Good source of fiber
Provide digestive enzymes for gut health
Weight loss
Boost energy
Promote healthy skin
If you’re feeling run down and tired, incorporating super greens into your routine is a great way to give yourself a boost.
These super greens are like green vegetables but on another level.