Why Eat Your Greens?

Baskets in a grocery store filled with leafy green vegetables.

We’ve been hearing it since we were kids: “Make sure you eat your vegetables! They are so good for you!” But do you know why vegetables (particularly the green, leafy kind) are good for you?

They are an excellent source of nutrition. When you eat lettuce, kale, or spinach, you are getting an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, E, and K. Veggies like Bok Choi and broccoli are rich in B-vitamins.

You’ll find that these types of vegetables are a great source of antioxidants, and these help protect your cells and can even help to block the early stages of cancer. You’ll also get your fill of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium while also getting to eat a delicious snack.

These dark green vegetables can supply you with folate, which is a B vitamin that promotes heart health and has even been known to protect against certain birth defects. Since these green, leafy vegetables are so high in Vitamin K, they have also been known to aid in the prevention of bone diseases such as osteoporosis. They also have low calories, carbohydrates, and they are low on the glycemic index.

There are many more benefits of having these vegetables in your diet than I have space to list here, but you can find more information on the USDA website.