Eating “Green”
Get the most green out of your dollar with these LOCAL green vegetables (temperate U.S. climates)
Our nutritionists, dietitians and moms are always telling us to eat our greens. Greens are known for iron but also great because they provide our diets with fantastic other nutrients, such as fiber, vitamin K, vitamin A (not just in orange veggies), and many times also with Calcium, Vitamin C and Potassium, too! We’ll call these our “green” nutrients in this article. This list was formed to shine the light on some of the most nutritious greens that are also inexpensive, based on average prices and nutrient content for the following vegetables. All the vegetables chosen here are great because they can be grown in most temperate climates of the United States and so can be found at Farmers’ Markets everywhere! Look for them when they are in season. All of my top leafy green picks will be a bountiful amount of greens per bunch of greens purchased and will be a great purchase for your money!
1. Swiss Chard
Kale has been getting so much hype in the media that I wanted to find a leafy green that is just as nutritious and cheap as kale! Swiss chard is higher in calcium and potassium. However, it is slightly lower in vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin C. It still provides an adequate amount of vitamin A and K for an entire day in a mere cup! You may need two or three servings to get your RDA (recommended daily allowance) for vitamin C, but that’s what fruit is for! Additionally, it is just as cheap as Kale. Thus, Swiss chard is a great alternative to kale if you are getting tired of that famous “super food”.
Our vivacious green is popular eaten roasted, boiled, steamed or raw. Swiss chard can also be a great addition to any salad! Its colorful stems add a fun twist to any dish.
This crop can bear very high to low temperatures, drought and can be maintained into the cold winter months (even in the Pacific Northwest! (wsu.edu). It is very affordable at stores and can be grown right at home in your garden! Cheap, nutritious and delicious, what more could you want
2. Kale
Kale is no news to anyone who has been paying attention to health media lately. People are even calling it a “super food”! There is a reason kale has been getting so much hype. Kale is exorbitantly high in Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin C, Carotene, Vitamin A, and even a little Vitamin K. This green is also very cheap for such a nutritious vegetable. I have seen it for as low as 0.99/bunch at Reading Terminal Market in Philly! Kale is also great because it can be eaten in a variety of ways: boiled, steamed, in soup, as chips, cooked with bacon, in a vegetable medley or simply raw! Kale is also wonderful because it is in season for much of the year and can be maintained late into the fall/winter before the next growing season. As much as I love kale, it is only getting ranked as 2 on this list. You can get as close to your daily needs for those “green” nutrients mentioned above, if not closer to them, from other greens like Swiss chard, without the high amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene in kale. But kale sure is versatile in the kitchen!
3. Collard Greens
A southern classic-- collard greens are so delicious, nutritious AND cheap! They are extraordinarily high in calcium, carotene, vitamin A and vitamin K. They also have a moderate amount of potassium and vitamin C. They taste great cooked in butter, with bacon, creamed and eaten with other vegetables. Collard greens get number 3 on this list because it is a great way to reach your daily needs for the above mentioned nutrients. Collard greens grow in cold weather, so are a great way to stay nutritious when other fruits and vegetables are going out of season. Like Swiss chard, it can also withstand drought-- great vegetables to cure our food/environmental crisis?
4. Mustard Greens
A little pricier than our first three choices, mustard greens are a delicious and nutritious way to eat green vegetables! Mustard greens are a great way to get close or above the RDA for all of the “green” nutrients. Mustard greens have a spicy flavor and can be cooked many different ways like our above mentioned greens, but should be cooked for shorter periods of time. It can be prepared more like spinach than other greens. In the northern hemisphere, mustard greens are in season between January and April. A great vegetable to eat when virtually nothing else is in season!
5. Spinach
Traditionally thought of as an iron rich green (Popeye ate it for strength), Spinach defends its green name in being high in all of our “green” nutrients. Unfortunately, at an average price of $2.32 per bunch, it is a little pricey for the small bunch of spinach that usually comes in a “bunch”. It is, likewise, pricier than most other greens. It can be eaten fresh, sautéed, steamed or boiled. Remember, spinach shrinks a lot! So you need a lot if you are cooking it! Spinach is another cool season vegetable and is usually planted in August and harvested in September. Look for it in the beginning of the fall at your local produce stand!
6. Turnip Greens
The nice thing about turnip greens is that the turnips come with them! They are a little pricier than mustard greens and spinach and so are ranked a little lower, but are just as nutritious! Turnip greens are popularly cooked by sautéing or steaming, similarly to Spinach. They can also be eaten in a salad. If turnips are planted in the summer, they are good by the late autumn to early winter! Another great option for when very few veggies are in season!
7. Broccoli Rabe (AKA: Broccoli Raab)
Broccoli rabe is a recent culinary discovery of mine and my favorite vegetable of the moment! It is slightly pricier than the above mentioned greens and so is only making it in at number 7, but is high in all the same nutrients as any leafy green (calcium, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A, carotene, vitamin K). Broccoli rabe has a spicy flavor that is delicious when sautéed, eaten raw or on top of Italian sausage! It is also great in sandwiches and salad! Broccoli Rabe is best grown in mild weather, 60 – 75 degrees F. It is usually harvested in the fall, but I have seen it in early summer months.
8. Broccoli
This classic green is usually thought of as the go-to vegetable in many American households, but it is not actually as nutritious as the above mentioned veggies and is pricey! Still, Broccoli is high in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K. It has its merits and if you are a broccoli fan, it is a great part of any diet! Broccoli is popularly cooked by sautéing, steaming, boiling or in stir fry. Broccoli is harvested in the fall and so look for it in the coming months of fall!
Picture: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1288
9. Cabbage
Cabbage is on this list because it is so cheap, always in season and can be grown under various conditions! It is one of the only fiber-full vegetables that is only $0.79 per head. Plus, a head of cabbage goes a long way! I was disappointed that cabbage isn’t as dense in nutrients as any of the other vegetables on this list; however, it will give you a day’s worth of vitamin C and vitamin K. It also provides a little bit of all of our “green” nutrients, but would take a couple of servings to fill a day’s worth. It beat number 10 because of its super low price and its ability to grow in every season! It’s usually cooked by sautéing or in slaws (such as cole slaw). It is also a delicious addition to any ethnic meal! Locally grown cabbage can be found year round at your grocery store or produce stand!
10. Asparagus
Asparagus was my favorite vegetable before I fell in love with… well all of the above leafy greens. It is delicious and rich in vitamin A and potassium. Asparagus is delicious when it is broiled, roasted or sautéed. Some people may boil or steam it, but that’s just not as tasty. Asparagus is one of the first signs of spring as it is in season early in April! Delicious and nutrient-rich, but asparagus is too pricey to make it any higher on this list.
Picture: http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/05/in-season-asparagus-choosing-picking-storing-20110429.html
Vegetables | Nutrients | |||||||
Fiber (g) | Ca (mg) | Fe (mg) | K (mg) | Vit A (IU) | B-carotene (μg) | Vit C (mg) | Vit K (mg) | |
Swiss Chard (1.67/pound) | 3.2 | 87 | 3.39 | 824 | 9186 | 5478 | 27 | 491 |
Collard Greens (1.72/bunch) | 4.2 | 210 | 1.74 | 174 | 12171 | 7221 | 27.3 | 660 |
Kale (1.77/bunch) | 3 | 108 | 1.35 | 342 | 20,432 | 12,260 | 61.5 | 342 |
Mustard Greens (2.00/bunch) | 3 | 111 | 1.05 | 303 | 9,484 | 5691 | 38 | 449 |
Spinach (2.32/bunch) | 3.6 | 204 | 5.35 | 699 | 15,722 | 9432 | 14.7 | 740.4 |
Turnip Greens (2.55/pound) | 5.2 | 206 | 1.2 | 304 | 11438 | 6862 | 41.1 | 551.4 |
Broccoli (2.99/pound) | 4.2 | 177 | 1.91 | 514 | 6800 | 4080 | 55.5 | 384 |
Cabbage (0.79/head) | 2.8 | 72 | 0.28 | 294 | 120 | 72 | 56.2 | 163.1 |
Asparagus (3.26/pound) | 3 | 34 | 1.36 | 336 | 1509 | 906 | 11.6 | 75.9 |
RDA or AI | 25 (w) 38 (m) | 1000 | 18 (w), 8 (m) | 4700 | 3000 | No RDA | 75 | 120 |
Explanation of Terms Used:
RDA – Recommended Daily Allowances
AI – Adequate Intake
The values above are for males and females between the ages of 19 and 50
All of the values of nutrients for each individual food is based on an amount of 150 g of the vegetable, cooked without salt.
Raw or Cooked? In general, these vegetables are higher in nutrients when cooked than when eaten raw. For more information on how nutritious these vegetables are when eaten raw, please visit http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/. The prices of the produce mentioned above was collected from a website of a local produce stand in the state of NY, from Fresh Grocer, Philadelphia and Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia.
Extra info about nutrients: Minerals like Iron are needed in higher quantities for women than men. Beta-carotene gets converted into vitamin A in the body and therefore can be considered as a way to intake vitamin A.
References:
Gropper SS, Smith JL, Groff JL. (2009) Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. California: Wadsworth.
Kinsley CG. “Plant of the Month: Swiss Chard.” Date Accessed 27 Aug 2011. Retrieved from: http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/homehort/plant/swiss_chard.htm
“Nutrient Data Library.” U.S. Department of Agriculture. Date Accessed 23 Aug 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
Comments
If you want to compare two different vegetables or the same vegetable cooked in different ways directly, check out the USDA’s Nutrient Database:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/.
This website provides a search engine to find the nutrient contents of various food items.
The following citations are examples of research in this area.
References (in order of most recent to oldest):
O’Sullivan L, Galvin K, Aherne SA, O’Brien NM. (2010). “Effects of Cooking on the Profile and Micellarization of 9-cis, 13-cis and all-trans-β-carotene in Green Vegetables.” Food Research International. 43(4): 1130-1135.
Pelligrini N, Miglio C, Rio DD, Salvatore S, Serafini M, and Brighenti F. (2009). “Effect of Domestic Cooking Methods on the Total Antioxidant Capacity of Vegetables.” International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 60(2): 12-22.
Kahlon TS, Chiu MM, Chapman MH. (2008). “Steam Cooking Significantly Improves In Vitro Bile Acid Binding of Collard Greens, Kale, Mustard Greens, Broccoli, Green Bell Pepper, and Cabbage.” Nutrition Research. 28(6): 351-357.
Wachtel-Galor S., Wong KW, Benzie IFF. (2008). “The Effect of Cooking on Brassica Vegetables.” Food Chemistry. 110(3): 706-710.
Madrizal MA, Giraud DW, Driskell JA. (1997). “retention of Vitamin C, Iron, and β-Carotene in Vegetables Prepared Using Different Cooking Methods.” Journal of Food Quality. 20(5):403-418.
Dietz JM, Kantha SS, Erdman JW.(1988) "Reversed Phase HPLC Analysis of α- and β-Carotene from Selected Raw and Cooked Vegetables.” Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. 38: 333-341.
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