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Get Your Leafy Green Vegetables

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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.

Romaine lettuce growing in California

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.

Swiss Chard

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.

Kale

Check out this handy guide for greens below and go green today.

Tofu Kale Power Bowl with Tahini Dressing

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

Cauliflower Spinach Lasagna

Peanut Chinese Cabbage Salad

Savory Steel Cut Oats with Spinach, Mushrooms and Tofu


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