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The Health Benefits of Dark, Leafy Greens
June 14, 2009
Getting enough of your dark green leafy vegetables is one of the cornerstones of good nutrition. Yes, I’m talking about kale, beet greens, chard, collards and spinach, to name just a few. Believe it or not, calorie for calorie, the “dark leafies” are perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. Imagine that! These veggies are a rich source of many minerals including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium as well as vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. Kind of like a multivitamin food group. Dark leafy greens contain a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, as well as small amounts of Omega-3 fats.
Here’s another great bonus about dark leafy greens: they have very little carbohydrate in them, and the carbs that are there are packed in layers of fiber, which make them slow to digest, which is why greens have very little impact on blood glucose. But the star of these nutrients is probably Vitamin K. A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own. New research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important than we once thought (aka–the current minimum may not be optimal), and many of us don’t get enough of it. And what does Vitamin K do exactly? It regulates blood clotting, helps protect bones from osteoporosis, and may help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques. Vitamin K may also be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis and diabetes. Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with oil to get maximum benefit from this great green vitamin.
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