Learn why you should include leafy green vegetables in your diet, and get this guide to leafy green vegetable nutrition and cooking tips.
I’m a huge fan of green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and mustard greens. These verdant plant foods are some of nature’s most powerful, and they are packed with an amazing diversity and amount of essential nutrients, such as fiber; vitamins A, C and K; calcium, folate, magnesium, iron and much more.
If you’re on a plant-based diet, it’s even more important to include these in your diet, as they can provide you with plant-based sources of calcium and iron. That’s why I recommend having at least one serving per day of leafy greens.
If you have a backyard, try growing some greens—they are one of the easiest vegetables to grow, and they just keep on giving. You can start with chard, kale, or lettuce and just trim off what you need daily, and more will keep popping up. The photo above shows greens I just collected from my garden. Don’t forget to eat greens that aren’t as common in your diet, too. Things like beet greens, radish greens, carrot greens, and the leaves of cauliflower or broccoli are all edible, delicious, and packed with nutrient.
Check out this handy guide for greens below and go green today.
Green Leafy Vegetables Guide
| Green, Leafy Vegetable (1/2 cup cooked) | Nutritional Highlights* | Culinary Uses |
| Collard greens | Vitamins A, C, and K, folate, fiber | Sauté as a side dish, or add to stir-fries, grain dishes, soups, pasta dishes, and side dishes. Chop tender leaves into salads. |
| Dandelion greens | Vitamins A, C, and K | Sauté as a side dish, add to soups, pasta dishes, and stir-fries. |
| Green cabbage | Vitamins C and K | Used fresh in slaws or salads, cook as a side dish, add to soups, sauté in stir-fries, use leaves to encase stuffings. |
| Kale | Vitamins A, C, and K, manganese | Sauté as a side dish, add to soups, pasta dishes, and stir-fries, or use fresh in salads. |
| Spinach | Vitamins A, B6, C, E, and K; riboflavin, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese | Sauté as a side dish, add to soups, pastas, omelets, and stir-fries, or use fresh in salads. |
| Swiss chard | Vitamins A, C, and K; iron, magnesium, potassium, manganese | Sauté as a side dish, add to soups and stir-fries, mix into quiche or casseroles. Use tender leaves in salads. |
| Turnip greens | Vitamins A, C, and K, folate, manganese, fiber, calcium | Sauté as a side dish, serve with rice and beans, stir into soups. |
| *Contains at least 10% DV per serving | ||
Try these delicious, healthy plant-based recipes featuring leafy greens:
Swiss Chard Orange Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette
Quinoa Kale Risotto with Pistachios
