Leafy Greens for Better Health

Introducing leafy greens to your diet can have numerous health benefits since they are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber but they are low in calories. Leafy greens are some of the healthiest vegetables you could add to your diet with major health benefits like reducing the risk of obesity, hearth diseases, lowering blood pressure and losing excess fat and maintaining a healthy weight.

In this article you will find a list with some of the healthiest leafy greens and their miraculous benefits for our health and wellbeing.

 

 

Kale

Kale is a dark leafy green that you can either eat raw or cooked, it belongs to the cabbage family with broccoli, cauliflower and collards and it is considered to be a superfood.

Kale is rich in vitamins A, C and K that are fundamental for a strong immune system, cold and chronic disease prevention. It also contains folate and vitamin B that are important for good brain development. Moreover, kale is rich in minerals including phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and zinc.

There are different types of kale depending on the shape of the leaves and their color. In your local farmers market, you could probably find curly kale, dinosaur kale, redbor kale and Russian kale. Even though they might look slightly different they all have the same nutritional value. A cup of kale has 33 calories, 3 grams of protein and around 2.5 grams of fiber which is great for balancing blood sugar levels.

Spinach

Spinach is another great leafy green option that can benefit your health and body in several ways. Spinach is a vegetable that is nearly all water so it helps with your hydration, it is also suggested that it can reduce your appetite by lowering the levels of the hunger hormones and raising the levels of the satiation hormones thanks to thylakoids.

Studies demonstrate that spinach may aid with osteoporosis and can help you maintain healthy and strong bones as it is high in calcium, manganese, and vitamin K. Ultimately, a diet rich in spinach is recommended to people who suffer from iron deficiency and anemia since it is a plant-based source of iron, a crucial mineral that our red blood cells need to bring oxygen to different parts of the body.

Collard Greens

Collard greens are a little bit bitter in taste and they have thick leaves. They are one of the best sources of vitamin K and it is suggested that they can help reducing blood clots and promote healthy bones. Furthermore, they are a great source of calcium and vitamins A, B9, C and K.

One cup collard greens is about 63 calories and contains 5g of protein, 10,7g of carbohydrates including 7.6g of fiber and important minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.

Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard has dark green leaves, and it belongs in the same family as beets and spinach. It is rich in vitamins and minerals such as potassium, manganese and the vitamins A, C and K. Studies suggest that it can improve blood sugar levels and help with diabetes. It is crunchy and people add it to soups, tacos, salads, or casseroles.

Romaine Lettuce

Romain Lettuce is probably the most popular leafy vegetable and widely used especially in the famous Caeser salad. It is an important source of vitamins A and K, and it can improve the levels of blood lipids and reduce the risk of cancer and heart diseases

Lettuce can be the perfect leafy green for weight loss diets since it only has 8 calories per cup.

Leafy greens have many get benefits that we discussed above. WeightLoss-Solutions created the Ultimate Guide to Food and Nutrition that teaches you all about foods and how to use them to lose weight naturally and permanently. There are many foods like leafy greens that are great for your health, and we are here to show you what they are.