Are you having enough green leafy vegetables per day?

How much is too much?

Green leafy vegetables are really important to prevent oxidation, thus aging, and even hair fall.

But many green leafy vegetables should you include in your diet? What really is a green leafy vegetable? Does cucumber count?

Green leafy vegetables are just green leaves such as kale, spinach, basil, amaranth, among many other options.

Ideally, you would want to include your body weight worth of green leaves in grams every day in your diet.

For example, I am, 55 kilograms, so I should be eating 55 grams of green leafy vegetables in a day.

Your bodyweight in kg’s worth of greens in grams.

Green leafy vegetables are so nutritious that they also can help you avoid various diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

When it comes to nutrition, greens have the maximum nutrients packed in the minimum calories.

Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as numerous B vitamins and potassium, are abundant in leafy greens. The darker the greens, the better they are for your health. Thus, parboiling greens so they are darker (not over boiling them), is better than raw greens.

What does science say?

Significant researches have been carried out to understand the implications of green leafy vegetables and their health benefits.

In a 2016 study titled “The effect of green leafy and cruciferous vegetable intake on the incidence of cardiovascular diseases: A meta-analysis,” it has been inferred that green leafy vegetables have a significant effect in reducing cardiovascular-related risks in human beings.

Populations that have a higher intake of greens in their diet seem to have lower diabetes, CVD, and cancer incidence rates.

I would limit spinach to no more than once a week though. Too much spinach interferes with the absorption of calcium in the body. This is unique to spinach only, so other greens are fine.

So what say you start your day with a green smoothie tomorrow?

Trust this helps,

Roshni Sanghvi.