Dark greens are loaded with antioxidants.
If it’s green it’s good for you – right?
Right, but some greens are better for you – and especially for your heart -- than others. Since most Americans don’t get anywhere close to the seven-to-nine servings of vegetables and fruits a day that they should be getting, then at least we should be smart about which ones we do eat.
That means go for the dark leafy greens.
Dark green is the sign that a food is loaded with the important antioxidant beta carotene and other special nutrients called phytochemicals that are good for the heart.
Phytochemicals are so called because their biosynthesis is stimulated by light (phyto). Greens can hold as much as 10 times more nutritional value in their leaves that feel the warmth of the sun than the leaves found at the pale inner core.
Plus, they are excellent sources of vitamin C, another important antioxidant.
The green giants
Leafy greens are the most ubiquitous vegetables in the marketplace and our choices have grown a lot in the last ten years. So be adventuresome and let color be your guide.
Among the good old standbys, fit kale, collards, Swiss chard and romaine lettuce into you diet as much as possible. This means several times a week.
Even the much maligned iceberg lettuce has some nutritional value, as long as you eat the other darker leaves instead of the pale heart.
Another smart choice is spinach. Most studies on spinach and heart health have focused on its ability to help reduce blood pressure.
One study conducted on rats showed a reduction in blood pressure within a few hours after eating spinach. The same effect, according to the researchers, could be achieved in humans by eating a large spinach salad.
Here’s another tip about nutrition and vegetables. Fresh isn’t always best. You can get just as much nutrition out of canned and frozen vegetables as you do from fresh.
Greens are easy to prepare. All you need to is toss them together with other good vegetables for a daily salad. No recipe is required. Or you ca get a bit fancy and try the recipes in My Heart Healthy Cookbook, a print and save recipe series that is being featured this month in honor of American Heart Month.
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Comments
Fresh vegetables are better than canned... Not sure who paid you to write otherwise.
The prefix "phyto" refers to plants not light. As in phytoremediation- using plants to clean up toxic wastes, phytochemicals- chemicals produced in plants, and phytoestrogen- plant estrogens. "Photo" refers to light.
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