Leslie, so what makes leafy green vegetables so healthy?
When it comes to vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting chemicals, leafy green vegetables are very hard to beat. Leafy greens are low in calories, fat free, high in fibre, and a good source of cancer-fighting vitamins A and C.
What's more, they're an exceptional source of antioxidants such as lutein, a phytochemical that help preserve our vision as we age. They are also one of the very best sources of potassium, a mineral that helps keep bones strong and blood pressure in check. And studies suggest that eating these vegetables a few times a week can keep your memory sharp as you get older.
Okay, so let's go through your top 5. Which ones should we be adding to your diet more regularly?
#1 Kale
Kale is one of the top leafy green vegetables for lutein, the antioxidant that's linked to a lower risk of cataract and macular degeneration. Experts say we need 6 to 15 milligrams per day for eye health - – 1/2 cup of cooked kale has 12 milligrams. One-half cup of cooked kale also packs more than four times your daily vitamin K and half a day's worth of vitamin A – all for only 18 calories.
To prepare, break the leaves from the stalk and then cut out any thick stalk from the leaves. Kale is a sturdier green so it holds up well in soups and stir-fries. My favourite ways to serve kale:
- Saute kale leaves with sliced onion, sliced apple and a hint of curry paste.
- Saute kale with fresh garlic and chili peppers and drizzle with roasted sesame oil just before serving.
#2 Swiss Chard
This leafy green is a good course of calcium, beta-carotene, vitamin C and some iron. One cup of cooked Swiss chard provides 100 milligrams of calcium.
Use both the leaves and the stalks. Add the leaves at the end of cooking; the stalks take longer to cook. My favourite way to serve Swiss Chard:
- Stir-fry Swiss chard with canola oil, garlic and crushed red chili flakes.
- Or after sautéing in oil add lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese.
#3 Spinach
One-half cup of cooked spinach is packs in a lot: more than 1/2 your daily requirement for vitamin A; more than 4 times a day's worth of vitamin K and 122 milligrams of calcium.
You can use spinach leafs in sandwiches or throw into pasta sauces, stir-fries and soups during the last few minutes of cooking. My favourite ways to serve spinach:
- Simply steam spinach and just before serving add a splash of raspberry vinegar.
- Toss fresh spinach with sliced strawberries or mandarin orange segments for a salad. (The vitamin C in the fruit increases the amount of iron your body absorbs from the spinach.)
- I also add baby spinach to tomato based pasta sauces at the very end of cooking.
#4 Rapini
Here's another favourite -- it's got all the nutrition of leafy greens along with those cancer fighting phytochemicals. It's eaten just like regular broccoli -- the leaves, stems and flowers. Rapini is more bitter than broccoli; some people prefer to blanch rapini before cooking it or adding it to other dishes which mellows the flavour.)
To prepare rapini, rinse and trim 1/4-inch from bottom of stems. Cut stalks crosswise into 2-inch pieces and drop them into boiling water. Blanch for 1 to 2 minutes and remove with slotted spoon. My favourite ways to serve rapini:
- Saute rapini for 3 to 5 minutes with crushed garlic and red chili peppers. Before serving, drizzle with fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.
- Add lightly steamed rapini to a tomato-based pasta sauce with turkey sausage.
- Add lightly steamed rapini to a homemade pizza.
#5 Collard greens
Collard greens are an excellent source of calcium and folate. This vegetable also contains "indoles", phytochemicals that can turn on enzymes in the liver that inactivate cancer causing substances.
To prepare, remove the leaves from the stalk, and then chop the leaves. Collard greens have the best flavour when they're sautéed. But you can also add this green to soups, tomato-based pasta sauces, and stir-fries. My favourite ways to prepare collard greens:
- Drizzle sautéed collard greens with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice.
- Add chopped collard greens, along with golden raisins and slivered almonds, to sautéed onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
What's better when it comes to nutrition -- cooked vegetables or raw?
For minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium and antioxidants cooked is best. That's because cooking breaks down cell walls in the plant and releases more of these nutrients -- that means there is more available for our bodies to absorb. For example, 3 cups of raw spinach has 90 milligrams of calcium whereas one cup of cooked has nearly triple the amount (259 milligrams).
But when it comes to getting more of those cancer-fighting compounds called indoles we discussed -- phytochemicals that are plentiful in kale, rapini, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage -- raw or lightly cooked is best.
