Best Healthy Leafy Green Vegetables: Know All The Health Benefits

by Alisha Matthew, Nutritionist
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You might have heard your mom saying to eat more vegetables to stay healthy and fit.

Do you know why she insisted you eat more green veggies instead of meat or fish?

The leafy greens are a great source of several essential vitamins, minerals, and compounds your body needs for healthy metabolic activity.

If you eat a diet full of leafy green vegetables, you might be able to fight several underlying diseases effectively.

So, go through the best healthy leafy vegetables below to start including them in your daily routine.

List Of Healthy Leafy Green Vegetables

  1. Spinach

    You shouldn’t avoid spinach if you have diabetes. Spinach is a great leafy green vegetable to include in your diet with numerous health benefits.

    The lush green vegetable is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals crucial for treating several health disorders naturally.

    Spinach contains several essential minerals like potassium, which may help you lower your blood pressure.

    Moreover, it could solve your eye problems at an older age.

    Spinach is highly rich in lutein, which could protect and cure several eye disorders like cataracts.

    Moreover, it could be a great vegetable to make your skin and bones healthy and strong.

    Spinach contains Vitamin K, an essential vitamin for bone growth and strength.

    It also contains Vitamin A, which may assist your body in growing tissues and hydrating your skin.

  2. Cabbage

    Cabbage is a beautiful leafy vegetable with thickly clustered leaves available in multiple colors like green, white, or purple.

    Similar to its colors, the vegetable also shows variations in nutrient content.

    Cabbage is highly rich in Vitamin C and K, while it contains Vitamin A, fiber, folate, potassium, manganese, etc., in limited amounts.

    Cabbage offers multiple health benefits to its consumers.

    As mentioned above, cabbage carries the highest Vitamin C into the body, hence, it may effectively fight against cancer and heal the damage caused by free radicals.

    Cabbage has sufficient fibers that may promote rapid digestion and regular bowel movements.

    Alongside digestion, it could also promote good heart health.

    Cabbage contains a plant pigment called anthocyanins that may help you reduce the symptoms of several heart diseases.

  3. Kale

    Kale is a dark leafy green vegetable that you may eat raw or cooked. It is one of the best superfoods, heavily stuffed with vitamins and minerals.

    These nutrient contents in Kale may help you fight against several diseases and keep you healthy and strong.

    Kale is a rich source of Vitamin A that may help keep your eyes healthy and build your immunity.

    It also contains Vitamin C and K, which may prevent you from chronic disorders and promote good bone health respectively.

    Moreover, Kale contains folate in the optimum amount to support brain development.

    It also fulfills an individual’s micronutrient and macronutrient needs as it contains phosphorus, potassium, zinc, calcium, etc.

  4. Watercress

    Watercress might be a leafy vegetable, but it grows on water.

    It is consumed heavily because of its zippy flavor and medicinal benefits.

    In Europe and Asia, watercress has become a favorite ingredient of their cuisine.

    Watercress is rich in multiple health-promoting nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

    Vitamin A present in the vegetable may help keep the retina healthy and promote regular cell division.

    Moreover, it also contains Vitamin C, which may benefit your immune system, and fasten the injury healing process.

    Watercress boosts the antioxidant levels in the body like carotenoids, beta-carotene, etc.

    These antioxidants reduce the presence of free radicals and may prevent cancer.

    Alongside preventing cancer, the antioxidants and potassium present in watercress may promote good heart health by balancing blood pressure.

  5. Microgreens

    Microgreens are the tiny and immature green vegetables obtained from the seeds of herbs and vegetables.

    The microgreens vary in size, ranging between 2.5 – 7.5 cm. The most helpful thing about microgreens is they might be grown at home throughout the year.

    Generally, the leafy green vegetable is used for garnishing dishes, but their medicinal or health aspects have been observed later on.

    The smaller size doesn’t suppress the nutritional values of the microgreens.

    It is assumed that microgreens possess higher nutrients than matured veggies. These small vegetables have multiple colors, flavors, and plenty of nutrients.

    It contains various essential vitamins like Vitamin C, K, E, and other minerals like potassium, zinc, iron, copper, etc.

  6. Romaine Lettuce

    Romaine lettuce is a preferred salad green vegetable with tons of nutritional benefits.

    Moreover, the nutritional content of romaine lettuce offers a wide range of health benefits to consumers.

    Romaine lettuce is considered to be rich in multiple healthy supplements like protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals like potassium and calcium.

    These nutritional content individually benefits the consumers in various ways.

    It is also one of the low-calorie vegetables for weight loss. It may also promote good heart health and better blood circulation.

    Moreover, the Vitamin A content in Romaine lettuce may help you avoid several eye problems like cataracts.

  7. Beet Greens

    People often neglect or hesitate to consume beet greens, but it could be the savior for many during winters.

    These edible leaves are packed with essential nutrients that may offer several health benefits.

    Beet greens naturally contain optimum Vitamin C to promote good bone health.

    Vitamin C in beet greens also plays a role in improving the immunity of an individual.

    Moreover, Vitamin A in beet greens is crucial for better vision and proper cell differentiation.

    Beet greens could be a great ingredient to promote weight loss as they are devoid of fat and cholesterol.

    They also contain other elements like copper, iron, calcium, and manganese that help maintain an average weight.

  8. Mustard Greens

    The mustard plant has been highly beneficial in promoting good health in humans.

    Every part of the plant, including seeds and leaves, is highly nutritious.

    Adding mustard greens to the diet may help you with good health and better metabolism.

    Several studies have proven that mustard greens contain more Vitamin C and A than oranges and spinach.

    The mustard greens contain a variety of vitamin B, including thiamine (B1), pyridoxine (B6), and niacin (B3).

    Alongside vital vitamins, the mustard greens boost the antioxidant content in the body like beta-carotene, carotenoids, etc.

    These antioxidants may help lower the blood sugar level and protect the skin from free radicals.

  9. Swiss Chard

    While discussing healthy leafy greens, swiss chard is never left behind.

    Swiss chard is a famous leafy green vegetable with jewel-toned stalks and veins with fantastic color.

    These stalks and leaves of swiss chard are the reservoirs of multiple vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds.

    A single dose of swiss chard may cover the daily needs of Vitamin C, K, A, and magnesium.

    Many scarce elements like iron, copper, potassium, calcium, etc., are also found apart from these essential vitamins.

    Consuming swiss chard could benefit you in balancing your weight naturally.

    It is a low-calorie food with multiple antioxidants and minerals to cut down excessive fat.

  10. Carrot Tops

    Carrot tops aren’t very familiar in terms of a regular diet. But, including them in the diet could offer multiple health benefits to you.

    You may consume them raw or make tea using a fresh bunch of carrot tops.

    Carrot tops are rich in chlorophyll that may help nourish skin and get rid of toxic substances.

    The high potassium content in the leaves helps normalize the blood sugar level.

    Moreover, the detoxifying nature of the carrot tops makes them an excellent solution for kidney problems.

    The carrot tops are rich in multiple vitamins like Vitamin A, and K. Vitamin A may help to improve eye health.

    On the other hand, Vitamin K may improve blood clotting and regulate the calcium level in the blood.

Conclusion

Most leafy green vegetables are a great source of Vitamin A and may be helpful to improve the eyesight of an individual.

An individual can’t obtain all the essential nutrition by avoiding leafy green vegetables.

Hence, you should regularly add a few leafy green veggies to your diet.