Why Eat More Dark Leafy Greens

As a college student who doesn’t have a dining plan, and who instead shares a kitchen with six other students, I don’t feel like I have the time to construct perfectly nutritious meals every day. Do I live on ramen noodles? No. I do make sure to get to the grocery store every week to buy fresh produce and other general groceries, but fresh vegetables are expensive! Sometimes I worry that I’m not getting enough of the vitamins that I need. Last year, I got sick a few times; I think this could have been avoided if I had been eating more vegetables.

This year, to improve my diet, I am buying one large bag (24 ounces) of raw spinach every week, in addition to my usual grocery list. I have challenged myself to finish the bag by the end of each week. Why spinach?

Spinach falls under the category of “dark green leafy” vegetables. If you’re looking to add something healthy (and remove something unhealthy) to your diet, it’s hard to go wrong with dark green leafy vegetables. Here’s why:

• They have tons of vitamins and minerals. Most dark green leafy vegetables are a great source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folate, iron, and calcium. One cup of raw spinach provides 56% of your daily need for Vitamin A. One cup of chopped kale provides 206% of Vitamin A, and 134% of your daily need of Vitamin C.
• They are low-calorie foods. One cup of raw spinach is just 7 calories. Seriously. Most leafy greens are similarly low in calories.
• They are a great source of fiber. This means that they are also quite filling.

Other dark green leafy vegetables are arugula, broccoli, collard greens, romaine lettuce, and Swiss chard. Some are sweeter or more bitter than others; you’ll have to try them all to see which you like the most.

I use spinach, because it is relatively cheap and extremely versatile. I’ve found a way to slip spinach into every main meal. For breakfast, I sometimes add it to an omelet or blend a half cup of raw leaves into a fruit smoothie. (It tastes better than it sounds; it does make the smoothie green, but it doesn’t change the flavor much at all). At lunch, I can add a layer of raw spinach to my sandwiches or wraps. Then, for dinner, it can be added in a stir-fry or soup. And last, but certainly not least, it can simply be used for a salad.