The importance of greens

Cooking greens are among the planet's most healthful foods. Few of us eat them regularly, but perhaps we should. The following guidelines will show you how beneficial eating greens can be for your health.

There isn't a formal definition, but "greens" refers to vegetables that are large leaves and that need cooking to become tender and sweet. They are most typically bought fresh in bundles held together with string or rubber bands.

They include:

• Chard
• Spinach
• Broccoli rabe
• Collard greens
• Dandelion greens
• Mustard greens
• Turnip greens
• Kale
• Kohlrabi

Don't confuse cooking greens with salad greens, which are smaller, more tender and best served in their natural, raw form. Salad greens, also knows as lettuces, range from the common iceberg, romaine and red leaf to the more elegant endive, arugula, escarole or frisée.

Spinach falls in both categories; baby spinach leaves are wonderful as a salad and larger spinach leaves are less tender and sweet when raw, but wonderful when cooked.

So low in calories and high in nutrients, greens are great for your health in dozens of ways.

Here are five reasons why:

1. Better blood sugar: Cell-protecting antioxidants, a smidgen of good fat and magnesium may explain why eating lots of leafy greens lowers your risk for developing diabetes. The same nutrients can help keep your blood sugar in control by improving your body's response to insulin.
2. Healthier heart: Potassium and magnesium in leafy greens help keep blood pressure in check. Compounds in collards, mustard greens and cabbage help lower levels of heart-threatening LDL cholesterol by whisking LDL-rich digestive acids out of your body.
3. Easier weight loss: A standard serving of greens is 200 grams (one cup) raw or 125 grams (half a cup) cooked, but these veggies are so low in calories that the sky's the limit! Just 28 calories are in 600 grams (four cups) of raw spinach, 200 grams (one cup) of cooked collards has just 49 calories and the same amount of cabbage has just 22. So eat as much as you like — as long as you don't cook them in butter or with lots of bacon!
4. Cancer protection: Rich in antioxidants called carotenoids, leafy greens protect cells throughout your body from damage that can trigger cancer. In addition, compounds in collards turn into cancer-fighting isothiocyanate, which eases inflammation and helps your body eliminate toxins. Carotenoids in spinach help guard against aggressive prostate cancer, too.
5. Healthy eyes: Greens like spinach, kale, turnip greens and collards contain lutein and zeaxanthin — antioxidants that could lower your odds for cataracts and a vision-robbing condition called age-related macular degeneration. They accumulate in the retina and lens of the eyes, where they act like sunglasses, guarding against damage from the sun's ultraviolet rays.