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While nearly all salad super C have some wellness benefits to bid , they can differ somewhat in the type and amount of fiber , vitamins , and minerals they contain , saysKelly Kennedy , RDN , the staff nutritionist for Everyday Health . Getting a variety ofleafy greens in your dietis a ripe scheme to take advantage of the health benefits they have to offer .
Read on for our ranking of 14 salad leafy vegetable , including nutritional info , why they ’re levelheaded , and some meal prep ideas .
1. Kale
Portion:1 loving cup raw
Calories:31.1
Carbs:1 gram ( constant of gravitation )
Fiber:0.8 g
Protein:0.6 g
Why It’s Healthy
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Meal Prep Inspo
" Kale is delicious raw or ready , " says Kennedy . " It ’s uncomplicated to ready sautéed with some onions and garlic , amazing baked into ' chip , ' and make a great basis for a salad . " For the salad , if you chop up the kale into little pieces or allow for it to sit in the binding for a little morsel before rust ( or both ) , it becomes more tender , she explains . Kale also match well with roasted squash , nuts , ejaculate , and dome . " However you serve kale , just be sure to remove the rugged ribbing first , " Kennedy says
How to Cut It: Kale
2. Spinach
Calories:7
Carbs:1 GiB
Fiber:0.7 GiB
Protein:1 gramme
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“ Spinach attain a outstanding salad nucleotide , ” say Kennedy . “ What I bang about get spinach on manus is that it can easily be comprise into so many dish antenna without ‘ taking over ’ flavorwise . It ’s splendid on top of a sandwich , stirred into an omelet , and sautéed in olive oil . ” or else , pair spinach with strawberry , balsamic , and a sprinkling of feta Malva sylvestris for a flavor - carry salad .
3. Beet Greens
Calories:8
Carbs:2 deoxyguanosine monophosphate
Fiber:1.4 g
Why They’re Healthy
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“ Beet greens can be rust in the altogether or set up in the same means as spinach plant or shekels . try out sautéing them with olive crude , ail , and onion , ” says Kennedy .
4. Swiss Chard
Fiber:0.6 g
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“ Swiss chard has a distinct tang that not everyone appreciate , ” pronounce Kennedy . “ It smack great sautéed with garlic and onions and mixture into a quiche or frittata well . If you ’ve tried it one means and did n’t like it , try make it a different way — you may be surprised ! ” weigh combine chard with a few other greens to make your own mix .
5. Dandelion Greens
Calories:25
Carbs:5 g
Fiber:1.9 g
Protein:2 g
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“ blowball greens are fantabulous in a salad and can also be sautéed and revel fond , ” says Kennedy .
6. Mustard Greens
Calories:15
Carbs:3 g
Fiber:1.8 g
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“ Mustard special K are excellent raw with oil and vinegar and also sautéed with olive oil and herbs , ” says Kennedy .
7. Collard Greens
Calories:12
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“ If you ’re not used to preparing collard super acid , you ’ll be surprise by how well-situated they are to cook , ” says Kennedy . “ Simply sauté them in olive oil color , and let them to simmer for about 45 minutes . Collard leafy vegetable take longer to cook than other greens but are deserving the waiting ! They try out great natural , too . ”
8. Watercress
Calories:4
Carbs:0 g
Fiber:0.2 deoxyguanosine monophosphate
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“ Watercress makes a delicious addition to a salad , and if you make out its peppery feeling , it can even be enjoyed alone with just a skin senses of oil color and acetum , ” say Kennedy . “ Watercress can also be pureed into a soup for an extra dose of nip and nutrition . ”
9. Romaine
Portion:1 cupful shredded
Calories:5
Fiber:0.05 g
Protein:0.05 g
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“ Romaine lettuce has a majuscule crunch and is delicious serve in a salad or on top of a sandwich , ” says Kennedy . “ Romaine can even be lightly grilled for a unparalleled , slightly charred look . ”
To further the nutritional value of your salad , mix romaine with some spinach or kale to load down in more antioxidant , or opt for a premixed portmanteau . “ prepacked salad unripe motley proffer a wide variety of nutrient without you take to buy big quantity of each type of viridity , ” enunciate Kennedy . Tossing your salad greens with a minor amount ofhealthy oilis also a great musical theme , as the oil adds a dose of healthy fat ( and flavor ) and can also improve your organic structure ’s absorption offat - soluble vitaminsfrom the salad , she adds .
10. Leaf Lettuce
Fiber:0.5 gibibyte
Protein:0 g
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“ Most people know that red and green lettuce can be serve in a salad or on top of a sandwich , but it ’s also delicious sautéed , steamed , or grilled , ” says Kennedy . Like many salad green , it ’s a petty low in roughage , though , so bulk up your salad with high - roughage vegetable such as Brassica oleracea italica , cultivated carrot , and leguminous plant , Kennedy recommends .
11. Butter Lettuce
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“ Also smashing as a salad or on top of a sandwich , the size of these cabbage leaf give them a smashing lettuce replacing for anyone looking to golow - carb , ” says Kennedy . “ you may make a traditional sandwich and do it on butter lettuce , or even roll up the ingredients inside the leaves to create a sort of ‘ wrap ’ in stead of a tortilla . ”
12. Endive Leaves
Fiber:1.6 g
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“ Endive is excellent chopped and serve in a salad , ” enunciate Kennedy . “ Because of its steady texture , endive can be function in individual leaf with dip , or as a small roll - up . ”
13. Arugula
Portion:2 cup raw
Calories:10
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“ Arugula has a hard , peppery savour that some people ca n’t get enough of , ” tell Kennedy . “ If this is you , it makes for a smashing salad all by itself . If the tone is a bit firm for you , I ’d recommend using it more as a condiment — add a small amount to a salad or a few leave of absence on top of a sandwich . ”
14. Iceberg Lettuce
Portion:2 cups chop
Calories:16
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“ Iceberg lettuce can be used just like butter lettuce ( as a salad , on top of a sandwich , or as a cabbage renewal ) , ” says Kennedy . “ I do n’t usually recommend iceberg dough because there ’s not much nutritionary value to it — I usually tell hoi polloi to just have a deoxyephedrine of water instead . ”
The Takeaway
Leafy salad greens are an excellent source of nourishment overall . They are particularly great sources of nitrates and several vitamins , include vitamin K , vitamin C , and some B vitamin . That said , not all salad super C are created equal . Your top option when it occur to aliment include cabbage , spinach , Beta vulgaris honey oil and Swiss chard .
Greens are easy to impart to almost any repast , either as a sautéed side dish or as part of a salad , or even a sandwich topping . As with all foods , the key is to have a smorgasbord and balance , so taste run through as many of these healthy , aliment - dense veg as you may .
Reyna Franco , RDN , is a New York City – based dietitian - nutritionist , certify specializer in sport dietetics , and certified personal flight simulator . She is a diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and has a master ’s degree in nutrition and exercising physiology from Columbia University .
In her individual practice , she provide medical nutrition therapy for weight management , sports nutriment , diabetes , cardiac disease , nephritic disease , gastrointestinal disorder , cancer , food allergies , run through disorders , and puerility alimentation . To do her diverse patients , she demonstrates cultural sensibility and noesis of customary food practices . She applies the tenet of lifestyle medicine to reduce the risk of inveterate disease and better wellness outcomes for her patient .
Franco is also a corporate health consultant who conducts health counseling and seminars for system of every size . She instruct play nutrition to aesculapian scholar at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine , taught life cycle nutrition and nutrition counselling to undergraduate student at LaGuardia Community College , and precepts nutrition student and interns . She created the mutant nutrition rotary motion for the New York Distance Dietetic Internship broadcast .
She is the chair of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’sRegistered Dietitian - NutritionistMember Interest Group . She is also the financial officer and secretary of the New York State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , having previously serve in many other leading role for the organization , including as past president , awards commission chair , and grant committee chairman , among others . She is active in the local Greater New York Dietetic Association and Long Island Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , too .
Alice Martin is an honor - gain journalist who oft shroud wellness and medical subject . Her work appears across multiple platform including digital , program and social media . As a conduce writer for Everyday Health , Alice provides reader with important health entropy on everything from nerve disease to insomnia . Her study focuses on prevention , treatment , and the latest research and breakthrough .
As a manufacturer for the cosmos ’s lead news organizations , Alice has cover breaking news , interviewed world leader , and profiled newsmakers . At NBC News , she was part of the Emmy - award pull ahead election team . She was the election dark poll parrot manufacturer for NBC anchor Brian Williams , and was a contributing writer for the NBC News Election Policy Guide . She produced a live , daily newsworthiness program at MSNBC . Alice trip extensively with NBC News , reporting on a wide range of subjects include aesculapian and wellness news . She assembled a terrorism readiness programme with the Centers for Disease Control in the backwash of 9/11 , and was on the ground in Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina .
Previously , Alice served as a playing area producer for CNN , coordinating live coverage of the Enron collapse and contributing to CNN.com . She started as a writer at CNN and later lick as a control room manufacturer orchestrating springy , casual , international programme . She was a witness to some of the most important events of the 1990s including the Olympic Park Bombing , the impeachment of President Clinton , and the end and funeral of Princess Diana .
Alice is passionate about reporting on health and wellness and strives to maintain a healthy lifestyle . She loves spreading the word about the benefit of diet , physical exercise and sleep on general health . Her writing encourage reader to take control of their health and make hardheaded changes that forge .
A Colorado indigene , Alice is a grad of the International School of Brussels and the University of Memphis . She loves French food , British moving-picture show , and American dramaturgy .
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