Health Benefits of Collard Greens
If you’re from the northern US like me, collard greens may not be a regular item on your dinner table.
A side dish staple of the South, collard greens can make a tasty and nutritious addition to your leafy-green vegetable repertoire.
After taking a deeper look into their health benefits, you’ll be ready to grow and cook up your own.
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Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Are Collard Greens?Collard greens are a leafy variety of the Brassica oleracea species, from the Acephala group. The Brassica genus also includes several other veggies like cabbage and broccoli.
In the United States, they grow mainly in the southern states, and are often served with bacon or smoked meats like ham hocks.
Outside of the US, they grow in Brazil, Portugal, and parts of Italy, Spain, and Africa.
Collard greens can be eaten raw or cooked, though cooking them is generally more common.
Don’t let that stop you from adding them to your next salad though! Just wash, de-stem, and be sure to massage the leaves for a soft and tasty texture.
Components of CollardsAside from being a beautifully green and leafy addition to the garden, they are also highly nutritious! Like most veggies, they are low in calories and high in essential nutrients.
One cup of cooked collard greens has a modest 42 calories. It packs 179 milligrams of calcium, or about 18 percent of the recommended daily intake for adults.
Consuming one cup of the cooked greens also meets 7 percent of your daily magnesium needs, 20 percent of daily dietary fiber needs, 6 percent of phosphorus needs, and 54 percent of vitamin A needs.
Eaten raw,
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