Dark Leafy Greens nutrients

And the season of casseroles, minestrone and sautéed veggies is back! A time of the year when most dark leafy greens are in-season and at their peak for nutrient contents.
I started my autumnal leafy green season by making Krispy Kale, last week and a lovely vegan curry with spinach yesterday.

Leafy greens are a concentrate of nutrients that are essential to our body, so I thought of giving you a recap of which nutrient is higher in each leafy veg.

• Fibre is absolutely crucial to our health – it helps the food travelling through our digestive system, modulates blood-sugar level and supports our cardiovascular health. Some greens that are especially high in fibre are Turnip greens and Beetroot greens.
• Folate is very important for our nervous system as it is cofactor for neurotransmitter production. Vitamin B9 is also a central nutrient for cardiovascular health and for foetus development during pregnancy. The most folate-rich leafy greens are spinach, turnip greens and romaine lettuce.
• The vitamin A found in plants are called carotenoids, they help lower inflammation and support our immune system. Good carotenoid sources are spinach, kale and mustard greens.
• We know how great iron is for energy as it ensures an optimal amount of oxygen in our blood. The most famous iron-rich green is (obviously) spinach, but also Swiss chard and parsley are amazing sources for this mineral.
• In practice, I recommend magnesium supplements very often! This mineral is extremely scarce in our food, yet it is important for our bone health, for the production of cellular energy, muscle relaxation and brain function.
  The best greens for Mg are spinach, Swiss chard and beet greens.
• Vitamin E is THE antioxidant of youth! Being a fat soluble nutrient makes vitamin E great in protecting our fats from free radical damage. All the greens we mentioned in the sections above are also high in vitamin E.

If you want to see how to make Krispy Kale, this is an instagram video I upload a while ago. And last year I shared an autumn salad with a super cool leafy vegetable as the main ingredient.

I really hope you found this list helpful and you will remember to rotate your favourite leafy greens in your recipes – variety is key to our health!