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; also, folate, iron, calcium, and magnesium.  Green veggies are also high in fiber, which is great for your digestive system, preventing diseases, and achieving that feeling of fullness that keeps you from overeating.

What’s in it for me?

The virtues of green salad vegetables are too numerous to mention, but here are just a few:

• Prevents Cancer

Including a variety of dark green salads in your daily diet is a recommended course of action for preventing cancer, as they are high in antioxidants and carotenoids.  In addition, because salads are high in fiber, they help quickly and efficiently remove toxins from your body before they have a chance to do you any harm.   Vitamin B12 for Cancer Prevention

• Avoid getting Type 2 diabetes

According to a publication in the British Medical Journal, eating spinach regularly reduces your chances of getting type 2 diabetes; 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 reduces your chances of suffering from cardiovascular disease by 23%.  Folate and vitamin B12 both reduce homocysteine levels, thereby reducing your chances of getting a heart attack.  B-Gone, Heart Disease

• Anti-aging benefits

When combined with vitamin B12, the folate that occurs naturally in salad greens helps to delay onset of Alzheimer’s disease, in addition to many 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.

There’s more than one way to eat a salad green

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.

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

Healthy Salad Greens: New Options To Power Up Your Salad

Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Green leafy vegetables reduce diabetes risk, study finds

Tags: adolescent health, antioxidants, arugula, dandelion greens, Folate and vitamin B12, Food, green leafy vegetables, Green Leafy Veggies, greens, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, kale, leafy greens, mustard greens, nutrition, power, reproductive health, romaine lettuce, salad, spinach, swiss chard, teen health, turnip greens, watercress, what nutrients does green leafy vegetables, young women's health

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 30th, 2011 at 7:11 am and is filed under Diet and Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.