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Home>10LeafyGreensThatAreHealthierThanKale

10LeafyGreensThatAreHealthierThan
Kale
ByDavidZinczenko[1] /TheHuffingtonPost
December31,2014

Intheworldofmarketing,imageiseverything.Ifyou'reJamesFranco,RogerFedereror
TaylorSwift,yournameandfacecanbeusedtosellanythingfromphonestowatchesto
perfume,evenifyou'renotnecessarilyfamousfortheyourtechsavvy,yourpromptness,
orthewayyousmell.
Inthefoodworld,thebiggestcelebrityofallmightbekaletheLadyGagaofleafy
greens.It'suniversallyrecognizedthatkaleanythingkalechips,kalepesto,kaleface
creaminstantlyimpartsahealthhalo.Even7Elevenismakingoveritsimageby
offeringkalecoldpressedjuices.
Yes,kalehasplentyofbenefits,includinghighlevelsoffolateandmorecalcium,gramfor
gram,thanacupofmilk.Still,kale'sactuallynotthehealthiestgreenontheblock.A
recentreport[2] publishedbytheCentersforDiseaseControlthatranked47"powerhouse
fruitsandvegetables,"kaleplacedonly15th(with49.07pointsoutof100fornutrient
density)!
Here'saroundupofthe10leafygreencousinsresearcherssaypackagreaternutritional
wallop.Read'em,eat'emandreapthebenefits.
SUPERFOOD#10:CollardGreens(NutritionScore:62.49)
AstaplevegetableofSouthernU.S.cuisine,collardgreensalsoboastincredible
cholesterolloweringbenefits,especiallywhensteamed.Arecentinvitrostudy[3]
publishedinthejournalNutritionResearchcomparedtheeffectivenessoftheprescription
drugCholestyraminetosteamedcollards.Incredibly,thecollardsimprovedthebody's
cholesterolblockingprocessby13percentmorethanthedrug!Ofcourse,thatwon'tdo
youanygoodifyouinsistonservingthemwithhamhocks.
SUPERFOOD#9:RomaineLettuce(NutritionScore:63.48)
Evenmoresothanitscousinkale,thehumbleRomainelettucepackshighlevelsoffolic
acid,awatersolubleformofVitaminBthat'sproventoboostmalefertility.Astudy[4]

publishedinthejournalFertilityandSterilityfoundsupplementalfolicacidtosignificantly
increasespermcounts.GetthemaninyourlifetostartcravingCaesarsalads,andyou
maysoonhaveababyJuliusonboard.(Ladies,thisgreenpackshealthbenefitsforyou,
too!Folatealsoplaysaroleinbattlingdepression,sochangeoutyourkaleforRomaine
and,whileyou'reatit,stockupontheseother8FoodsThatBoostYourMood.[5] )
SUPERFOOD#8:Parsley(NutritionScore:65.59)
Yes,thatleafygarnishthatsitsonthesideofyourplatetheonetheythrowawayafter
youeattherestofyourmealisaquietsuperfood,sopackedwithnutrientsthateven
thatonesprigcangoalongwaytowardmeetingyourdailyrequirementforvitaminK.
Moreover,research[6] suggeststhesummeryaromaandflavorofchoppedparsleymay
helpcontrolyourappetite.AstudyinthejournalFlavourfoundparticipantsatesignificantly
lessofadishthatsmelledstronglyofspicethanamildlyscentedversionofthesame
food.Addingherbs,likeparsley,createsthesensoryillusionthatyou'reindulgingin
somethingrich,withoutaddinganyfatorcaloriestoyourplate.
SUPERFOOD#7:LeafLettuce(NutritionScore:70.73)
ThenutritionalClarkKentofthesaladbar,thiscommonandunsuspectingleafygreenis
readytotakeitsplaceamongthesuperfoods.Twogenerouscupsoflettuceprovides100
percentofyourdailyvitaminKrequirementforstrong,healthybones.Areportfromthe
Nurses'HealthStudysuggests[7] thatwomenwhoeataservingoflettuceeverydaycut
theriskofhipfractureby30percentthanwhencomparedwitheatingjustoneservinga
week.(Whatotherfoodsmightyoubeunderestimating?Findoutwhichareinyourkitchen
nowinour6SurprisingSuperfoods[8] .)
SUPERFOOD#6:Chicory(NutritionScore:73.36)
Chicoryisafamilyofbittergreens,butitsmostwellknownmemberisradicchio,thesmall
redorpurpleleafthatcomesinaheadaboutthesizeofasoftball.It'soneofthebest
dietarysourcesofpolyphenolspowerfulmicronutrientsthatservearoleinpreventing
disease.Astudy[9] intheJournalofNutritionfoundthatpeoplewhoconsume650mga
dayofpolyphenolshavea30percentchanceatlivinglongerthanthosewhoconsume
lessthanthat.Acupofchicoryleavesclocks[10] inatabout235mg(doublethatof
spinach!),soconsideraddingalittleleafyredintoyourleafygreens.
SUPERFOOD#5:Spinach(NutritionScore:86.43)
SpinachistokalewhatMichaelJordanistoLeBronJamestheonceunrivaledkingnow
overshadowedbythehotnewthing.ButlikeMJ,spinachhasafewmorechampionship
ringsthanitsmorecurrentrivalprimarilyitspositionasatopsourceofbicepsbuilding
iron.AccordingtotheUnitedStatesDepartmentofAgriculture,a180gramservingof
boiledspinachprovides6.43mgofthemusclemineralthat'smorethana6ounce
hamburgerpatty!Recentresearchalsosuggestcompoundsintheleafmembranescalled
thylakoidsmayserveasapowerfulappetitesuppressant.Arecentlypublishedlongterm
study[11] atLundUniversityinSwedenfoundthathavingadrinkcontainingthylakoids
beforebreakfastcouldsignificantlyreducecravingsandpromoteweightloss.Onaverage,
thewomenwhotookthespinachextractlost5.5poundsmorethantheplacebogroup
overthecourseofthreemonths.(It'seasytoseewhyspinachtopsourlistoftheessential
8FoodsYouShouldEatEveryDay[12] .)
SUPERFOOD#4:BeetGreens(NutritionScore:87.08)
Yes,thestufftheycutoffandthrowinthegarbagebeforechargingyouanarmandaleg

for"beetsalad."Ascantcupofthebittergreenservesupnearly5gramsoffiberthat's
morethanyou'llfindinabowlofQuakeroats[13] !ResearchersattheUniversityofLeeds
found[14] thatriskofcardiovasculardiseasewassignificantlylowerforevery7gramsof
fiberconsumed.Trytheminstirfrysandeattoyourheart'scontent!
SUPERFOOD#3:Chard(NutritionScore:89.27)
Chard.Soundslike"burnt."It'snotasfunanametodropas,say,"broccolini,"butitmight
beyourbestdefenseagainstdiabetes.Recentresearch[15] hasshownthatthese
powerhouseleavescontainatleast13differentpolyphenolantioxidants,including
anthocyaninsantiinflammatorycompoundsthatcouldofferprotectionfromtype2
diabetes.Researchers[16] fromtheUniversityofEastAngliaanalyzedquestionnairesand
bloodsamplesofabout2,000peopleandfoundthatthosewiththehighestdietaryintakes
ofanthocyaninshadlowerinsulinresistanceandbetterbloodglucoseregulation.
SUPERFOOD#2:ChineseCabbage(NutritionScore:91.99)
TakingthesilvermedalinthepowerfoodOlympicsisChinesecabbage,alsocalledNapa
orcelerycabbage.Richsourcesofhighlyavailablecalciumandiron,cruciferous
vegetableslikethecabbagehavethepowerfulabilityto"turnoff"inflammationmarkers
thoughttopromoteheartdisease.Inastudy[17] ofmorethan1,000Chinesewomen,
publishedintheJournaloftheAcademyofNutritionandDietetics,thosewhoatethemost
cruciferousvegetables(about1.5cupsperday)had13percentlessinflammationthan
thosewhoatethefewest.
SUPERFOOD#1:Watercress(NutritionScore:100)
Thetopdog,theunrivaledchampion,thechairmanofthecuttingboard,watercressmay
alsobetheclosestthingyettoatrueantiagingfood.Gramforgramthismildtastingand
flowerylookinggreencontains[18] fourtimesmorebetacarotenethananapple,anda
whopping238percentofyourdailyrecommendeddoseofvitaminKper100gramstwo
compoundsthatkeepskindewyandyouthful.Thebeautyfoodisalsotherichest[19]
dietarysourceofPEITC(phenylethylisothiocyanate),whichresearchsuggestscanfight
cancer.Resultsfromaneightweektrial[20] publishedintheAmericanJournalofClinical
Nutritionsuggestdailysupplementationof85gramsofrawwatercress(that'sabouttwo
cups)couldreduceDNAdamagelinkedtocancerby17percent.Exposuretoheatmay
inactivate[21] PEITC,soit'sbesttoenjoywatercressrawinsalads,coldpressedjuicesand
sandwiches.
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SourceURL:http://www.alternet.org/food/10leafygreensarehealthierkale
Links:
[1]http://www.alternet.org/authors/davidzinczenko0
[2]http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13_0390.htm#table2_down
[3]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19083431
[4]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11872201
[5]http://www.eatthis.com/slideshow/8foodsboostyourmood
[6]http://www.flavourjournal.com/content/1/1/3
[7]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9925126?dopt=Citation
[8]http://www.eatthis.com/slideshow/6superfoodsdisguise
[9]http://jn.nutrition.org/content/early/2013/06/25/jn.113.177121.full.pdf
[10]https://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/topic/eattheseandyoumaylivelongernewstudysays/

[11]http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666314003493
[12]http://www.eatthis.com/blog/8foodsyoushouldeateveryday0
[13]http://www.quakeroats.com/products/hotcereals/instantoatmeal/original.aspx
[14]http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6879
[15]http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814603002942
[16]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24336456
[17]http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S22122672%2813%29018911/abstract
[18]http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article2216852/EatwayfaceliftWatercresslatestwonderfoodbattle
antiageing.html#ixzz3I8yAq8Jv
[19]http://watercress.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2012/01/TheUniversityofSouthamptonResearch.pdf
[20]http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/2/504.abstract
[21]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9865427?dopt=Abstract
[22]mailto:corrections@alternet.org?Subject=Typoon10LeafyGreensThatAreHealthierThanKale
[23]http://www.alternet.org/
[24]http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B