Eat Leafy Green Vegetables For Good Health
By Lisa Shanken
March 10, 2010
Leafy green vegetables are low in calories and therefore ideal for weight management. In addition, they are also useful in reducing cancer and heart disease because they are low fat, high in dietary fiber, and rich in folic acid, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium.
Leafy green vegetables are rich in phytochemicals, such as lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene. Studies have shown that a daily serving of green leafy vegetables lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease by 11%. The frequent consumption of green salads is associated with a lower risk of mortality among Americans.
The high magnesium content and low glycemic index of leafy green vegetables are essential for people with type 2 diabetes. An increased serving daily of green leafy vegetables was associated with 9% lower risk of diabetes. These vegetables are also high in vitamin K which is important for osteocalcin, a protein needed for bone health. Certain leafy green vegetables are good sources of calcium and iron. The rich beta-carotene content is also converted to vitamin A which helps to improve the immune function. Children should have a daily intake of leafy greens which provides a good source vitamin A in the body.
Leafy green vegetables are a power food! Children should be encouraged to eat leafy greens by pointing out the health benefits that go along with these leafy vegetables. There are hundreds of dishes that have leafy greens as ingredients - and I will be posting them in my blog in the near future!
Below is a list of common leafy green vegetables:
- Agati (Sesbania grandiflora)
- Amaranth
- Artichoke
- Arugula (garden rocket
- Beet greens (spinach beet)
- Bok choy
- Borage
- Brussels sprout tops
- Collard green
- Cabbage
- Asiatic Pennywort (Centella asiatica)
- Chard
- Chaya
- Colocasia
- Dandelion
- Endive
- Escarole
- Fenugreek
- Garden cress
- Ground-elder
- Garden Rocket (arugula)
- Iceberg lettuce
- Kailan
- Kale
- Kohlrabi greens
- Leek
- Lettuce
- Moringa (Moringa oleifera)
- Mustard greens
- Nasturtium (genus) (watercress)
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)
- Purslane
- Radichetta, radicchio “asparagus chicory,” “catalogna,” or “country lettuce.”
- Romaine
- Sorrel
- Spinach
- Spinach beet (beet greens)
- Spring greens
- Stinging nettle
- Tatsoi
- Tropaeolum (nasturtium)
- Turnip greens
- Watercress (Nasturtium (genus))
- Water spinach or ong choy (Ipomoea aquatica)
- Yarrow
Lisa Shanken
My passion is to help you live your healthiest and most harmonious life, but in a way that’s realistic and practical for you as a unique individual on this planet. My philosophy is all about “balance,” never a diet since a diet is not sustainable for life, aka Kill The Diet.
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