Hopefully it’s become easier for you to eat fresh, delicious leafy greens than it was as a kid. Or maybe you were ahead of your time and enjoyed it as a child!
The benefits of the dark green family are endless. Spring is the perfect time to begin adding color to your diet if it slowly disappeared or lessened over winter. There are so many ways to sneak it into your diet, from smoothies to giant salads, decide how what your taste buds are in the mood for and go crazy!
It’s easy to love your body when you’re consuming foods that love your body back. Do you feel low on energy and depressed? Pack in the greens for a week and see how your spirits improve! One small step leads to many other loving choices for your body and mind. Love your body and the skin your in by remembering to eat your greens!
Below is a mini-guide to four different greens and their many superpowers:
Spinach:
Beauty isn’t just skin deep with this powerful green. One of the most well-know and widely used greens in cooking and smoothie blending.
Packed with Antioxidants:
- Vitamin C – Immunity help, hair health, energy, and signs of aging.
- Beta-carotene – Used in holistic treatment with asthma, depression, infertility, arthritis, and slows cataracts.
- Lutein + Zeaxanthin – An ingested sunscreen effect for your eyes and macular degeneration!
- Vitamin K – Only 1 Cup equals double the daily requirement which helps with cardiovascular and bone health.
- Iron – Muscle health, brain function, strong hair and nails.
Sneak in a cup in your morning smoothie (a Helene’s Kitchen favorite is to mix with frozen cherries, one peeled orange, frozen wild blueberries, hemp seeds and raw/homemade almond milk).
Where do you sneak in your spinach?
Chard:
Goes by many names, Swiss Chard, silverbeet, perpetual spinach, spinach beet, crab beet, bright lights, seakale beet, and mangold. No matter what you call it, your body needs it!
- Contains 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, including the flavonoid found in kale, strawberries, broccoli and more.
- Syringic acid – Aids in regulation of blood sugar.
- Dynamic vehicle for bone health due to the combination of vitamins and minerals.
Enjoy chopped up in a salad with Creamy Vegan Green Dressing, get the recipe here.
Where do you sneak in your chard?
Parsley:
Not just decoration on your plate! Don’t underestimate this under-used green; it’s powerfully packed with unique health benefits.
- Flavonoids (apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, and luteolin) – Function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules to prevent damage to cells caused by oxygen.
- Vitamin B – Among many benefits, this plays a huge roll in cardiovascular health.
- Vitamin C – Arthritis protection.
- Packed with tons of antioxidants for cancer prevention and skin health.
Stuck on how to enjoy parsley? Try these 10 fun recipes to get your creative juices flowing!
Where do you sneak in your parsley?
Kale:
Don’t be afraid of this thick leafy green. Buy it by the fistful and use it in all kinds of dishes to pump up your system. It plays a huge roll in the detoxification process to clean out your cells!
- Cholesterol-lowering benefits.
- Fiber – Comes out even more when you steam it! Try slicing them up and steaming for 5 minutes.
- Lowers risk of cancer (at least five different types including bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate).
- Antioxidant nutrients, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and anti-cancer nutrients (glucosinolates) – lower chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
- Omega-3 – Anti-Inflammatory health benefits.
Enjoy a delicious Mediterranean Kale Salad Recipe.
Where do you sneak in your kale?
What are your favorite greens?