How to Eat Green
Green vegetables are abundant in variety, but, while some of them are packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals, others may be sorely lacking. It’s important to bring into your family’s diet the vegetables that will benefit them the most.
When choosing vegetables to introduce, it’s important to learn how to recognize those that are high in vitamin and mineral content. The first rule of thumb is that the darker the color, the more nutritious the vegetable.
Salad Greens
Eating a salad for lunch has always been considered a “healthy choice”, but that would depend upon the kind of lettuce used to make that salad. A salad of romaine lettuce, endive or mustard greens is going to be a healthy salad; a salad with iceberg lettuce will be less so, since romaine lettuce has eight times the vitamin A and six times the vitamin C of iceberg lettuce. Romaine lettuce is a great choice for a salad green since it is high in Vitamin K, A, C, folate, manganese, chromium and potassium.
Cooked Greens
When thinking about vegetables to prepare with dinner, the first that come to mind are carrots, green beans, peas and corn; these are not your best choices. They lack many of the essential vitamins and minerals that are found in darker green vegetables, there are much better choices for your family.
Here are the leafy dark green vegetables that should be a common staple in your family’s diet:
- Spinach
- Broccoli
- Turnip Greens
- Collard Greens
- Mustard Greens
- Beet Greens
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Brussel Sprouts
- Asparagus
- Bok Choy
These can be boiled, sautéed in olive oil, or served in a soup; however you serve them, it’s important that most of these vegetables become a common part of your family’s daily diet.
Part 3: https://mnbtg.org/resources/health-wellness/eating-green-part-iii
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