Greens are an excellent food you can eat regularly to help improve your health. Leafy green vegetables are low in calories and packed with fiber, along with vitamins and minerals. Fiber is an important component of our diet, but most people eat too little. This is, in part, due to the higher consumption of convenience and refined foods in our food supply, which are most often low in fiber. Additionally, Americans are not eating as many vegetables per day as dietary experts recommend.

Variety of Greens

Try greens, you just might like them! To encourage you or your family to eat more green leafy vegetables, learn more about and choose from the variety of greens listed here:

• Kale: This dark leafy green is an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and K, has a good amount of calcium for a vegetable, and also supplies folate and potassium. Kale’s ruffle-edged leaves may range in color from cream to purple to black, depending upon the variety.
• Collards: Used in Southern-style cooking, collard greens are similar in nutrition to kale. They have a heartier, chewier texture and a stronger cabbage-like taste. Try wrapping your sandwich in greens instead of using bread!
• Turnip Greens: If you buy turnips with the tops on, you get two vegetables in one. Turnip leaves are another Southern favorite. More tender than other greens and needing less cooking, this sharp-flavored leaf is low in calories yet loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium.
• Swiss Chard: With red stems, stalks, and veins on its leaves, Swiss chard has a beet-like taste and soft texture that is perfect for sautéing. Chard contains 15 calories in ½ cup and is a good source of vitamins A and C, potassium, and iron.
• Spinach: This wonderful leafy vegetable is widely used and provides a great source of niacin, zinc, and iron. Get your daily greens with tasty spinach by incorporating it into a salad, omelet, or fresh smoothie.
• Mustard Greens: Another Southern green with a similar nutrition profile to turnip leaves and collards, mustard greens have scalloped edges and come in red and green varieties. They have a peppery taste and give off a mustardy smell during cooking. Their spiciness can be toned down by adding an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, at the end of cooking.
• Red and Green Leaf and Romaine Lettuce: A familiar sight in salad bowls, these lettuces are high in vitamin A and offer some folate. Leaf lettuces have a softer texture than romaine. If you substitute red leaf, green leaf, or even Romaine lettuce for iceberg lettuce, you can significantly increase your nutrient intake.
• Cabbage: Although paler in color than other leafy greens, this vegetable is a great source of cancer-fighting compounds and vitamin C. Available in red and green varieties, cabbage can be cooked, added raw to salads or stir-fries, shredded into a slaw, or made into sauerkraut.

How To Prepare Them…

The challenge for many of us is not knowing how to prepare dark, leafy greens. Many greens taste bitter when they are improperly prepared, and others become mushy when they are overcooked. Leafy greens can be delicious, but if you are just learning how to cook with them, there are a few helpful tricks that you should know.

Tips for Cooking with Dark Leafy Greens

• Experiment with different types. Take a chance, buy a bunch of whatever greens look good, and experiment with new ways to prepare them. You don’t need to know the difference between Dinosaur and curly kale to enjoy greens – they can be interchangeable in most recipes.
• Prepare the leaves. The tough leaves of most greens can hold a lot of sand and grit. Grip the base of the stem and rub each leaf under running water to wash away the dirt. Strip the leaves off of the stems.
• Cook the bitter flavors away. You can remove the bitter taste by briefly blanching the greens. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and then drop the leaves in the hot water for 1-2 minutes. The leaves will soften and become bright green, afterward, dunk them in a bowl of ice water (or cool them off under cold running water) to stop the cooking process.
• Add some flavor to your greens. Flavorful ingredients like vinegar, onion, and garlic make great additions to cooked greens. A shake of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of red pepper flakes, or a sprinkle of grated ginger can give your greens a completely new taste.
• Put them everywhere. Braise the greens with a little onion and olive oil, and then use them as a bed for your meat, poultry, or fish entrée.  Add chopped greens to the soup during the last part of cooking. Insert a layer of steamed greens into the lasagna, add it to casseroles, or use it as a pizza topping. There is no end to the places your greens can go!

Shrinking Greens

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate.gov, 2 cups of raw leafy green vegetables count as one vegetable serving for adult men and women. One serving of cooked dark green leafy vegetables is a half cup. This is because the volume of these vegetables decreases when you cook them.

It’s time to start discovering the amazing potential of leafy greens in your diet. Eventually, you will discover your favorite greens and begin to eat them more often.

Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator

Sources:

• usda.gov
• choosemyplate.gov
• webmd.com