Where to Find the Richest Nutrients in the Vegetable Kingdom - Leafy Greens!

The greener a vegetable is - the more nutritious it is! True! Super high in vitamins like A and C, as well as minerals like magnesium, potassium, and iron, and are very well known for their folic acid.

Folic Acid is derived from the Latin word, "Folium"which means "leaf"!

There are so many green vegetables to choose from to incorporate into your diet but I'm going to lay out seven that are readily available and the benefits of each.

Cabbage

Low in fat, cabbage is rich in chlorophyll, folic acid, and vitamin C. Red cabbage is higher than green in vitamins A and C, but lower in folic acid and chlorophyll. Cabbage can be eaten raw or cooked (and in eastern Europe is eaten as fermented sauerkraut which adds digestive enzymes!)

You may be asking, what's so special about chlorophyll? Well, it provides intestinal nourishment on our mucous linings and is excellent for detoxifying and purifying our system.

Chard

Chard is a very rich source of vitamin A (one cup of uncooked chard has about 1,200 IUs and less than 10 calories!) Excellent in protein and fiber, fair in vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Here is a recipe to try to incorporate some swiss chard in your diet: Sauteed Swiss Chard with Mushrooms and Roasted Red Peppers Recipe | Allrecipes

Collards

Collards are one of the richer sources of vitamin A with a good source of protein and fiber. Looking for a way to cook with collards? Here's a great recipe to try: Quick Collard Greens Recipe - Cookie and Kate

Lettuce

What's the most common type of lettuce? You guess it, iceberg. But there are many other types such as romaine, red leaf, green leaf, or butter. Rich sources of chlorophyll, vitamin A, and folic acid, and they also have calcium, potassium, and iron. Don't forget fiber-rich! Low sodium and low calorie. WIN-WIN!

Spinach

Who said, "Spinach makes ya strong!"? LOL, you're right, it was Popeye! Rich in iron, one cup of spinach has nearly 2 mg and only 15 calories. Great for protein and fiber also. Very high in vitamin A with about 4,500 IUs for that one cup. Potassium, magnesium, calcium are high. You can easily substitute spinach for lettuce but once you cook fresh spinach, it's best to eat it quickly due to the potential oxidation of iron.

Watercress

Did you know that watercress comes from the mustard family? Excellent addition to salads. Very high in vitamin A and calcium, vitamin C, potassium, iron, and magnesium.

Now you know where you can find food with the richest nutrients - leafy greens! Raw or cooked, there are so many ways to incorporate these into your daily nutritional regime.

Tips for eating more nutritious and healthy vegetables:

1. Wash or soak your vegetables in water. This will help remove any chemicals that could be on them.

2. Consider fresh vegetable juices. They have concentrated vitamins and minerals. Fasting on vegetable juices is something to consider for enhanced vitality. The fresher the veggies the better!

3. The most nutritious way to eat veggies is fresh and raw but this way can be difficult for some to chew and digest. Light steaming can help!

4. Baked vegetables are nutritionally sound so give them a try!

5. Boiling is not ideal as many of the nutrients get boiled into the water. So unless you're going to drink the water, try baking, steaming, or eating raw.