Happy Spring! I want to share some good news with you. For the past 2 years, I’ve had the pleasure of writing nutrition articles for Allrecipes magazine. The latest FoodRx article in the Spring 2023 issue. It’s about building stronger bones, boosting your vision, and fighting cognitive decline with leafy greens.
What are leafy greens and how can they improve my health?
Bone Health
Leafy greens like spinach, chard, collards, kale, mustard, and turnip greens are packed with antioxidants, vitamin K, folate, and other essential nutrients. Vitamin K helps build up your bones. According to a 2020 published study, Just 1 1/2 cups of cooked kale improved the bone integrity of adults in their 40s and 50s.
Eye Health
Leafy greens can also help keep your eyes healthy, especially if you spend hours a day staring at screens (computer, phone, TV, tablet, etc.). Turnip greens, kale, and spinach are rich sources of lutein, an antioxidant that may protect eye tissues from sun damage and reduce your risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is the leading cause of vision loss among older Americans.
Brain Health
Did you know that eating 1 cup of leafy greens a day may fight cognitive decline? Leafy greens supply folate, a B vitamin that slows memory loss. Help lower your risk of experiencing memory loss by eating leafy greens.
My Tips to Eat More Leafy Greens
I want to share a few tips on how to eat more leafy greens every day.
- Add chopped collard greens to soups.
- Saute chard with ginger.
- Add spinach (fresh or frozen) to smoothies.
Go get the Allrecipes Spring 2023 issue now on newsstands or order a copy online.
Nutritionally Yours,
Jerlyn
