Greens

Whether you eat greens raw in salads and smoothies or cooked in soups or casseroles, get them in daily. Leafy green vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. They are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber but low in calories.

Eating a diet rich in leafy greens can offer numerous health benefits including reduced risk of obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and mental decline. Dark leafy greens are high in lutein. Lutein, an antioxidant, reduces the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss among older Americans. Lutein also provides protection against heart disease and cancer.

Spinach belongs to a family of foods, called the chenopod family, that are considered superfoods. Beets, chard, kale, quinoa are all in the same family, and have been linked to improved nervous system health. These plants- especially spinach- are currently being studied, as they may contain levels of nutrients unavailable to us in other foods. 

Spinach gets  maligned over the issue of calcium absorption. Spinach is high in calcium but also has a high content of oxalic acid, which binds to calcium making it hard to digest. An easy remedy to make spinach’s nutrients more digestible is simply steaming it or throwing it in at the end of a cooking soup or stew. 

Spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables around. Spinach provides significant amounts of micronutrients, including manganese, folate, vitamins A, C and K and iron.  A higher level of its iron content is accessible once spinach has been slightly cooked. Raw spinach is, however, higher is vitamin C and potassium. A rotation of a variety of leafy greens, including raw and cooked spinach, are therefore ideal for a healthy diet.

Mix up your greens.  A variety of greens such as kale, collards, spinach, microgreens, sprouts, cabbage, beet greens, swisschard, arugula, bok choy, turnip greens can be eaten raw or cooked. Both the root and the greens are eaten with beets and turnips.

Pack a morning chocolate smoothie full of greens to start the day. Throw greens in stews and soups just before serving. Cook them in spaghetti sauce. Mix greens in lovely colorful salads with your favorite dressing.

If your child (or bigger loved one) is resistant, don’t force it. Before they dig in, entertain options. Chocolate and tomatoes are the great maskers of flavor. A chocolate (cacao or carob) smoothie can be filled with quite a bit of greens before you can appreciate the flavor. Mixing greens into spaghetti or pizza sauce is also a good trick.

Years ago, my children did not particularly have a fondness for kale. We decided to have a recipe contest. Each child picked a recipe that had kale as an ingredient. A scalloped potato recipe with kale was the winner. It quickly became a favorite. At first, pieces of kale could be seen on the plate having been picked out. Soon the whole dish was gobbled down. Over time they enjoyed kale in other dishes as well.

Greens are easy to grow. Consider a raised bed easily accessible outside the kitchen. Grow microgreens on the counter.

Incorporate greens into your child's diet daily from the first year of life. Pureed steamed greens may be a first food. Throughout their life, continue to incorporate greens into the diet with plenty of other fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.