Further studies need to investigate these benefits in people Romaine lettuce is a popular lettuce found in many salads. Swiss chard has dark-green leaves with a thick stalk that is red, white, yellow or green. It has an earthy taste and is rich in minerals and vitamins, such as potassium, manganese and the vitamins A , C and K Swiss chard also contains a unique flavonoid called syringic acid — a compound that may be beneficial for lowering blood sugar levels In two small studies in rats with diabetes, oral administration of syringic acid for 30 days improved blood sugar levels 28 , Next time, try adding all parts of the Swiss chard plant to dishes such as soups, tacos or casseroles.
Swiss chard is rich in color and often incorporated into Mediterranean cooking. It contains the flavonoid syringic acid, which may be beneficial for reducing blood sugar levels.
However, human-based research on its effectiveness is lacking. Arugula is a leafy green from the Brassicaceae family that goes by many different names, such as rocket, colewort, roquette, rucola and rucoli. It has a slightly peppery taste and small leaves that can easily be incorporated into salads or used as a garnish. It can also be used cosmetically and medicinally Though the benefits of nitrates are debated , some studies have found that they may help increase blood flow and reduce blood pressure by widening your blood vessels Arugula is a leafy green vegetable that goes by several different names, including rocket and rucola.
It can be eaten raw or cooked. Endive is a lesser-known leafy green vegetable that is curly and crisp in texture.
It contains several nutrients, including the antioxidant kaempferol, which may reduce cancer cell growth. Bok choy contains the mineral selenium, which plays an important role in cognitive function, immunity and cancer prevention In addition, selenium is important for proper thyroid gland function. This gland is located in your neck and releases hormones that play a key role in metabolism An observational study associated low levels of selenium with thyroid conditions such as hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis and enlarged thyroid Bok choy is popular in China and often used in soups and stir-fries.
It contains the mineral selenium, which benefits your brain health, immunity, cancer protection and thyroid health. These greens pack more nutrients than the turnip itself, including calcium , manganese, folate and the vitamins A, C and K Turnip greens are considered a cruciferous vegetable, which have been shown to decrease your risk of health conditions, such as heart disease, cancer and inflammation 40 , 41 , Turnip greens also contain several antioxidants including gluconasturtiin, glucotropaeolin, quercetin, myricetin and beta-carotene — which all play a role in reducing stress in your body Turnip greens are the leaves of the turnip plant and are considered a cruciferous vegetable.
Studies have found that they may decrease stress in your body and reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and inflammation. Leafy green vegetables are packed with important and powerful nutrients that are critical for good health.
Fortunately, many leafy greens can be found year round, and they can easily be incorporated into your meals — in surprising and diverse ways. To reap the many impressive health benefits of leafy greens, make sure to include a variety of these vegetables in your diet. For optimal health, it's a good idea to choose the foods that contain the most nutrients.
Here are the 11 most nutrient-dense foods on earth. Everyone knows that vegetables are good for your health, but some truly stand out from the rest. Here are 14 of the healthiest vegetables on the…. This is a detailed article about kale and its health benefits.
Kale is actually one of the healthiest and most nutritious foods on the planet. Despite its impressive nutrient content, cabbage is often overlooked. This article uncovers 9 surprising health benefits of cabbage, all backed by…. Despite their small size, microgreens pack a nutritional punch. This article reviews their health benefits and how to grow your own. Include these leafy greens in your meals to boost your health:. The best way to eat your greens is from fresh sources.
Canned, dehydrated and frozen veggies present an alternative that can be helpful to increase your intake. However, trying to obtain your greens from a capsule will not provide you with all the benefits that you can find in real fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables were designed by nature to satisfy the nutritional requirement of our bodies.
Every compound in a fruit and veg has a special function. Fibre will allow fructose to be absorbed gradually to avoid glucose spikes. There are other factors that can influence how many nutrients you absorb from the food you eat. For instance, how you cook your food, the combinations you make, and even your stress level can influence the uptake of nutrients from the food to your body, better known as bioavailability.
Nutrients in actual fruits and veg are more likely to be readily available and provide you with more health benefits than a capsule. So, instead of wanting to eat your nutrients in a capsule go for the real stuff and increase your intake of greens. A little heat can actually be helpful to increase the absorption of some nutrients such as precursor of vitamin A and it can also deactivate some enzymes that lead to oxidation. A typical example of when this happens is canned vegetables. To preserve foods for longer periods of time, canned foods have to go through high temperatures.
Among the advantages of this is that the heat helps eliminate bacteria and might make some nutrients more readily available. For instance capacity to absorb vitamin a can be higher from canned carrots than raw ones. On the negative side, vitamins which are more prone to heat, like vitamin C, will be destroyed. The way that the food industry remediates this is by adding artificial colours.
In the canning of peas some of their chlorophyll is lost and usually replaced with an artificial colour. Sodium copper chlorophyllin or E is usually used and a permitted food additive in Europe. The main difference of this colorant is that the natural magnesium has been replaced with copper to increase its stability. Sometimes we think of greens as exclusive of lunch or dinner. But it wasn't until the first Africans arrived in North America in the early s that America got its first real tastes of dark green leafy vegetables, which they grew for themselves and their families.
So, over the years, cooked greens developed into a traditional African American food. Ultimately, they became essential in Southern regional diets and are now enjoyed nationwide. Dark green leafy vegetables are great sources of nutrition. Salad greens, kale and spinach are rich in vitamins A, C, E and K, and broccoli, bok choy and mustard are also rich in many of the B-vitamins. These vegetables also contain an abundance of carotenoids-antioxidants that protect cells and play roles in blocking the early stages of cancer.
They also contain high levels of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Furthermore, greens have very little carbohydrates, sodium and cholesterol. The dark greens supply a significant amount of folate, a B vitamin that promotes heart health and helps prevent certain birth defects. Folate is also necessary for DNA duplication and repair which protects against the development of cancer. Several large studies have shown that high intakes of folate may lower the risk of colon polyps by 30 to 40 percent compared to low intakes of this vitamin.
Other research suggests that diets low in folate may increase the risk of cancers of the breast, cervix and lung.
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