You’ll love these leafy greens recipes, plus your body will thank you for eating them everyday. Yep. Every. Day. Here’s why…
If there’s one food I don’t have a problem with telling encouraging you to eat every day, it’s leafy greens.
Now, before you start rolling your eyeballs at me {Dad-I’m looking at you!}, please hear me out…
One of myhealthy habits, is trying to eat one serving of leafy greens {almost} every day. I’m not asking you to do anything I wouldn’t personally do myself. 🙂
I know this may sound a little “woo woo”, but Ireally do feel better~more energized and alert~ when I include a daily serving of leafy greens in my diet.
LEAFY GREENS FOR EVERYONE!
In addition, no matter what type of diet helps you feel your best {i.e. Mediterranean, flexitarian, vegetarian, low FODMAP, vegan, low carb, paleo, etc}, leafy greens can fit right into your meal plan. Quite deliciously I might add!
And, while I’ll always encourage you to eat the rainbow, leafy greens are one of the most nutrient packed foods you can eat.
You’ve likely noticed many leafy greens taste slightly bitter. That’s a good thing!
Note: Although I consider leafy greens rockstars in the nutrition world, there are 2 instances you should consult with your doctor or a registered dietitian nutritionist before eating them daily:
If you’re on a blood thinner.Large amounts of leafy greens may interfere with blood thinners like warfarin(Coumadin, Jantoven) due to their high amount of vitamin K. You can still eat leafy greens, but your medicine dose may need to be adjusted if you eat large amounts~consult with your physician to find your optimal dose.
Here are 6 reasons to get excited about eating leafy greens…
No. 1 | Boost Your Brain Health
As I shared in this post on The MIND Diet, eating leafy greens {6 x week} is one of the best ways to lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease, and boost overall brain health.
In addition to more traditional greens {kale, romaine, spinach}, have fun experimenting with other varieties including: Arugula, Dandelion Greens, and Watercress.
Leafy greens are a natural source of folate. You might need more folate to support methylation if you have a MTHFR gene mutation like I do. Methylation is complex topic, but, in a nutshell, methylation switches genes on and off, and helps repair DNA.
Did you know, approximately 30-50% of us {myself included} have a MTHFR gene mutation?
This means we may need to include more folate rich foods in our diet {vs folic acid, a synthetic form that is added to many processed foods}. Luckily, leafy greens are an excellent source of folate.
Health conditions that may be related to an MTHFR mutation include high homocysteine levels {which may be linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke}, recurrent miscarriages, and mood disorders including depression and anxiety.
Choose a variety of leafy greens to help meet your calcium and vitamin K needs including:Collard greens, kale, andturnip greens.
Leafy greens for bone health…
And, to entice you to eat more leafy greens, here are 16 recipes I think you’re going to love!
16 Leafy Greens Recipes You’ll Love
Breakfast {Smoothies}
You may already know that I’m a fan of green smoothies. All four of these smoothie recipes made with leafy greens are a delicious {and easy!} way to start your day!
Green smoothies not your thing? That’s ok. We can still be friends. That being said, I LOVE gettin’ some green leafies in for my first meal of the day. Scrambled egg tacos w/ greens & feta are one of my go to favorites, but these 4 creative recipes above definitely take your leafy greens for breakfast up a notch!
Lunchtime is another great opportunity to get your daily dose of leafy greens. Try ’em stuffed into sandwiches, swirled into soup, or in one of these delicious leafy greens recipes featuring spinach, collard greens, baby lettuce, and watercress. Any of these leafy greens recipes would also make a delicious side dish!
Last call to get your leafy greens! {Unless you wanna’ eat them for dessert!} We’ve been doing a lot of spinach salads lately, because, gasp!, my kids seem to like ’em. For a really simple salad, I top baby spinach with pine nuts, feta cheese, and dried cranberries with my super simple Golden Balsamic Vinaigrette. How about trying some of these yummy recipes too?!
Pictured clockwise from top left: Spinach, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Pizza at The Spicy RD
EA Stewart, MBA, RD is an integrative registered dietitian specializing in wellness nutrition, digestive health, autoimmune disease, brain health, and vibrant aging. She creates easy, plant-forward gluten-free recipes for a wide variety of diets including low FODMAP, Mediterranean, and more.
Hei EA Stewart, takk for at du deler 16 oppskrifter med grønne grønnsaker. Jeg er sikker på at det virkelig vil være nyttig for helsen vår.
Jeg skal prøve det selv.
Og jeg håper også at det kan gi en slags avslapning fra /angst .
Thanks so much Liz! Yes-MTHFR mutations are definitely something to be aware of, including as it relates to fertility. Your tacos look so delicious~I don’t know why I’ve never thought to top mine with arugula before~will definitely be trying this next #TacoTuesday !!
Hei EA Stewart, takk for at du deler 16 oppskrifter med grønne grønnsaker. Jeg er sikker på at det virkelig vil være nyttig for helsen vår.
Jeg skal prøve det selv.
Og jeg håper også at det kan gi en slags avslapning fra /angst .
I’m pretty sure I want to try every single one of these recipes- I could probably build my monthly menu just from this post!
Wish we could sit down to a leafy greens dinner together!!
I’m always excited to eat my greens – but even more so after seeing all these tasty recipes!! Can’t wait to try a few 🙂
Yippee!! Glad to hear you’re a leafy greens gal too! I hope you get to try some of the recipes 🙂
I love the goal of adding leafy greens to all meals…these recipes definitely make that look appealing!
Thanks Brynn! I’m happy to try and make leafy greens accessible to everyone 🙂
Great recipes and overview of “green” foods! Love it.
Thanks so much Abbie!!
Love this post! We could all use more greenery in our lives! Informative and colourful blog post.
Thanks Jodi! Yay for more greenery in our lives!!
This is such a beautiful and inspiring post E.a.! I love all things green and these are mouthwatering! You always provide just enough science too. 😉
Thank you so much Catherine!! Green is one of my favorite colors too-not just to eat 🙂
What a great post EA!! So important pointing out the MTHFR! I need to share this post with my clients! Thanks for including my tacos!!
Thanks so much Liz! Yes-MTHFR mutations are definitely something to be aware of, including as it relates to fertility. Your tacos look so delicious~I don’t know why I’ve never thought to top mine with arugula before~will definitely be trying this next #TacoTuesday !!