WHAT ARE GREENS??
I've realized that a lot of people are unaware of what a "dark leafy green" is. Friends will ask what I'm growing in the garden this year. I start listing "tomato, cucumber, eggplant, soybeans, colorful peppers"...but then when I get to "rainbow chard, mustard greens, kale, beet greens", they have this confused look. "What is rainbow chard? What does it taste like?" Even the cashier at the grocery store stopped me mid-order the other day to marvel at the GORGEOUS orange, red, pink and yellow stalks of the rainbow chard I was buying. "What IS that??", she asked, in awe of the beautiful colored stalks and perfect slightly crinkled hearty leaves. She wanted to know what it tastes like and how to prepare it.
I thought I'd write a little bit about greens and how they are SO healthy and beneficial for a lot of your body's key functions. Once I started incorporating them into my diet (at least 3-4x a week), I noticed that I even developed cravings for them. Greens are wonderful for bone health, digestion and supporting free-radical oxidative damage. And, eating them makes me feel positively vibrant!
What does the "dark leafy green" category consist of, you ask? Sorry, not broccoli, peas, green beans or leaf lettuce. Here's a pretty comprehensive list describing what you'll find lining the walls of the produce stores and farmers markets here in Michigan:
VARIETIES OF GREENS (at least, here in Michigan!):
- Swiss Chard - Mild, sweet green similar to spinach. Large leaves (about 8 inches long, 5 inches across) and a light green-white stalk. Baby greens are great in salads, large mature leaves can be steamed or sauteed.
- Rainbow Chard - Swiss Chard's more beautiful cousin. Gorgeous bunches of red, orange, yellow, pink stalks with a bright green leaf.
- Spinach - duh, Popeye's fave! Nice mild flavor, softer texture. Baby spinach leaves are nice raw in a salad or scrambled with eggs; the bigger more dense, crinkled leaves are best steamed/sauteed/incorporated into pasta dishes.
- Kale - comes in many different varieties: dinosaur, curly, flowering (a green and purple curly leaves that grow in a beautiful flower formation) etc. Kale is one of the heartier greens! I recommend either massaging it, and eating it raw in a salad or steaming or sauteeing. Sometimes I throw a handful of greens into my smoothie in the morning for added nutrition.
- Beet Greens - the green tops of a growing beet root. The leaves are smaller and more delicate, but resemble that of rainbow chard. This is a tasty sweet green that has a bit of the beet flavor to it.
- Mustard Greens - a SPICY variety of green. This is a lighter-in-color green. The leaves have lots of texture to them and curl around the edges. It's one of the more potent greens. I like to saute mustard greens with a bit of Dijon or whole ground mustard, lemon, olive oil, salt. It also makes for a delicious addition to a salad for a bit of a kick.
- Collards - known for their use in soul food, collards have big, flat leaves. This is one of the more hearty greens. My favorite way to prepare is chopping and sauteing with bacon/bacon grease, red-wine vinegar, S&P. Delicious!!!
- Turnip Greens - like the beet greens, turnip greens are harvested off of growing turnips. Has a spicy, slightly bitter taste, and a more narrow, delicate leaf.
- Dandelion Greens - the most bitter of all of the greens, this is actually the green part of your dandelion weeds growing in the backyard. This makes it a very cheap green and easily accessible. My grandmother and grandfather told me stories of their parents, born in Greece, harvesting dandelions to eat on the side of the road for cheap nutrition. They are best cooked in olive oil, lemon, garlic & onions (see a trend here?) Fair warning, if you're new to greens, you may want to work your way up to this one!
...the benefits of incorporating greens on a regular basis are innumerable and I'll go as far as to say "critical". Greens provide fundamental nutrition that support everything in your body. I'm no Doctor, Nutritionist or Dietitian, but working with a certain Naturopathic Medical Doctor is where I get boundless information about nutrition for holistic health & wellness. I also do a lot of my own research on the web, by checking in with World's Healthiest Foods, and NutritionData. Greens are fantastic to help "move things along" in your digestive system. They're cleansing, fresh and to boot, a CHEAP super food. Unlike $15/lb Acai berry, you can buy a huge bunch of greens from $1-3 bucks (depending on if you're at the farmer's market or Whole Foods organic section)! ;) Greens are high in:
- Iron - Many people claim that you need red meat in order to get enough iron, however 1.25c kale has the same amount of iron as 4 oz lean beef. Vegans, vegetarians...all plant-eaters rejoice!
- Calcium - supporting bones, preventing colon cancer, PMS, cataracts, high blood pressure and poly cystic ovarian syndrome to name a few. Greens have between 86mg (spinach) to 266mg (collards) per 1 cup serving. This is about the amount you'll find in an ounce of cheddar cheese!
- Vitamin A - preservation of eyesight, helps fight viral infections, supporting cell growth, preventing of vaginitis, acne, AIDS symptoms, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, varicose veins, inflammatory bowel syndrome. Greens have in the range of 6,519 IU (spinach) to a whopping 17,709 IU (kale) per serving of Vitamin A. If you want another source of Vitamin A, turn to carrot, sweet potato, squash or Calves Liver (mmmm).
- Vitamin K - critical to bone health, preventing oxidative damage, regulating the inflammatory system, supporting the brain and nervous system, preventing calcification of blood vessels and heart valves and preventing dreaded kidney stones. Greens contain anywhere from 420mcg (mustard greens) to 1,062mcg (kale). Greens, romaine lettuce and broccoli are pretty much your ONLY good source of Vitamin K.
- Magnesium - good for muscle and nerve relaxation, circulation, building bones, imbalanced blood sugar, elevated blood pressure, controlling diabetes, PMS, hypertension and asthma.
*Not only are greens rich in nutrients and super cheap...they're very LOW-CALORIE. Each serving (1 cup) has between 21 (Mustard Greens) and 49 (Collards) calories per serving. Great for dieting.*
GREENS FOR GUT HEALTH:
So, maybe you've heard a lot recently about friendly gut bacteria and how it plays a huge role in our digestion, mood, immune system and overall health. These friendly gut bacteria (pro-biotics) occupy our stomach by the billions and need PRE-biotics as food. The fibers in our foods provide fuel for these gut bacteria and guess what? It just so happens that greens are a fantastic source to feed your gut bacteria.
Not only do they help your stomach feed it's army of healthy gut bacteria, but the high folate content may aid in the prevention of cancer.
PREPARATION OF GREENS:
Where to start? At your local farmer's market, in your garden (SUPER easy to grow) or at your nicer grocery store. Pick one or three and get cookin'. A couple basic tips: certainly don't over-boil them; it reduces the fiber content and reduces the overall nutrient value. Also, make sure to serve with olive oil or even bacon fat...and an acid. This helps to extract the nutrients in the food and make them more easily absorbed into the body. Here are my favorite ways to use greens:
Steam - heat a pot or pan with enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Salt the water and heat to medium. Throw in the greens and saute just long enough for the greens to wilt and turn a nice bright shade of green. This will vary depending on the type. For example, spinach only needs a few minutes, while kale, collards and mustard greens will need the longest, more like five minutes. Season with salt, pepper, an oil and an acid. Olive Oil and Lemon are my standbys.
Saute - heat a large pan to medium heat with some olive or vegetable oil (or that bacon fat if you're doing mustard or collard greens...mmmm). You can toss in a bit of garlic and/or onions and get those browning before throwing the greens in. Saute until leaves are wilted.
In Salads - beet greens, spinach, baby rainbow chard and baby mustard greens all make for delicious salads, or just incorporate with your regular romaine or mix. Pictured below with grapefruit: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/01/kale-grapefruit.html
In Soups - Just today for lunch, I made a chicken, orzo and kale soup. Delicious. Just add your finely chopped greens when the soup is about 10 minutes from being done. Great way to make your soup more flavorful, nutrient dense, colorful and hearty!
Snack Foods - I posted a recipe a while back for Kale Chips: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/04/baked-kale-chips.html Great way to get your greens in during a DVR session snack-attack on the couch!
In a Lasagna or Vegetable Bake or Pasta Sauce - Yup. Put it right in there between the layers of sauce, veggies and cheese. Or even chop it up fine & put it in your homemade pasta sauce! Your family might not even notice. ;) Here's a hearty and healthy pasta sauce with a ton of veggies that I came up with over the winter: http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2011/01/veggie-lovers-pasta-sauce-and-lamb.html
Eat your greens every day. Your body will thank you. :)
My ALL-TIME FAVORITE:
Southern Greens: Collard Greens sauteed with bacon and onions. MMMM!
http://adventurouspalate.blogspot.com/2012/04/southern-style-greens-bacon.html
*NOTE: Bacon, hot dogs and most conventional lunch meat contains lots of sodium nitrites to preserve. When cooked at a high temp, they form nitrosamines which are carcinogenic. So let's be safe and find bacon at a local farm market or whole foods, where (MOST LIKELY) the meat is fresh, there are no added preservatives or hormones, and best of all, the pig was raised humanely.
Food Renegade!
