Five Greens to Keep you Lean

 They may not be our most loved food item but here are five different greens we should be thankful for!

Kale
As an excellent source of vitamin k, Kale is more just a random word on Beyoncé’s jumper. Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting; without it your wounds would never heal, as it is needed to make the blood clotting agents. Kale has recently become an obsession for some, with its ability to be placed in smoothies and main meals.

Spinach
Probably one of the first children’s cartoon to promote healthy eating, muscle man Popeye was never too far from a can of his favourite staple spinach. Spinach has many anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous characteristics, which is due to the high nutrient density of the plant. Spinach is an excellent source of folate, reducing the chance of neural tube defects a condition in which the baby’s spinal chord has not fully developed.

Edamame
Edamame is young soybean to be exact, and is almost completely made of dietary protein, so for all of you vegans and vegetarians out there this should be on the top of that shopping list. It provides essential amino acids, which the human body cannot make. You can prepare it like any other vegetable by adding it to meals or eating it raw.

Broccoli
This mini tree-like edible plant has long been a favourite of mine. Whether steamed, boiled or in a soup broccoli is a versatile vegetable that should be a regular in your cupboard. Broccoli is high in the mineral chromium, a mineral that helps maintain blood glucose levels by strengthening the effects of the hormone insulin. This hormone helps reduce blood glucose after a meal by driving the glucose into cells to be used.

Peas
This green is most commonly known to go with the classic British dish of fish and chips in its mashed form. This little powerhouse contains very good sources of vitamin B1 (thiamine) which is good for energy metabolism of dietary carbohydrates.

What’s your favourite greens and how do you like to prepare it?

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Author: Elizabeth Uwiduhaye

Elizabeth is a self-proclaimed nutrition fanatic who went on to study it at the University of Reading. She shared her childhood in both Rwanda and England, setting the basis to her globalised view of diets and lifestyles. Elizabeth’s love of food was developed through working in various different restaurants and her mother’s home cooked African meals. She hopes to combine her passion for cooking and knowledge of science in each recipe that is posted..

“Having had troubles with my weight, I feel compelled to help others through effective weight management with a healthy diet. I believe a heavily plant based diet is best, there is no doubt that fruits and vegetables carry significant life improving factors when combined with lean meats, fish and whole grains. The topic of nutrition is always changing and this is what I love most about it, we all eat but what we eat is different so why should we follow the same advice?
My goal is to inspire people to try new ways of discovering food through different lifestyles which encourage variety and enjoyment of food.”

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