12 Benefits of Leafy Greens

Were you ever told to “eat your greens” when you were a kid? If so, you’re not alone. Leafy greens support your health in a myriad of ways! These nutritional superstars are low in calories but high in fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients. In fact, the benefits of leafy greens are incredible for your health in ways you might never suspect.

Some people enjoy leafy greens in whole food form. Others prefer their greens in smoothies or in green superfood powders. However you prefer them, organic greens have the power to make you look and feel younger. They can even support healthy aging! Let’s go deeper into the benefits of leafy greens. I'll also show you how to include them in your diet.

We all know that non-GMO fruits and vegetables are good for you. Organic is even better. Green leafy vegetables come loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Some even contain protein! Dark, leafy greens are also very versatile In fact, you can incorporate them into your diet in fun, delicious ways.

If you still need convincing, don’t worry. I’m about to tell you about all the amazing benefits of leafy greens. Which green, leafy vegetables give you the most health benefits? It’s a good question. That’s why before I get into the benefits of leafy greens, I want to share my all-time favorite green vegetables list with you. 

My Green Vegetables List 

As I mentioned earlier, some fruits and vegetables are more nutrient dense than others. This is especially true of organic greens. Typically, the darker or more vibrant the color, the better it is for you. With that said, here is my green vegetables list I recommend everyone start with:

• Kale
• Spinach
• Collard greens
• Broccoli
• Broccoli sprouts
• Cabbage
• Beet greens
• Watercress
• Arugula
• Mustard greens
• Swiss chard
• Bok choy
• Romaine lettuce

What’s great about this list is that these green leafy vegetables go well in both cold and hot dishes!

Raw vs. Cooked Vegetables: Which is Better?

I get asked all the time if it’s better to eat raw vs cooked vegetables. The answer may surprise you. Eating raw vegetables provides your body with optimal levels of folate and water-soluble vitamins. On the flip side, they can be harder to digest. The nutrients in cooked vegetables are much easier to digest and absorb. Cooking can reduce some nutrient availability, so it begs the question: is there a way to get the best of both worlds?

The short answer is yes. There is a way you can get the nutrients your body needs in a form that is easy to digest and use. I’ll share more about it in a moment. For now, let’s talk more about the benefits of leafy greens.

The Benefits of Leafy Greens

Is it really true that eating organic greens can keep you looking and feeling your best? Yes! These green leafy vegetables nourish and support nearly every aspect of your health. It’s all by design. In fact, eating a diet rich in leafy greens can support healthy digestion, circulation, and aging. Let me explain. 

1. Green Veggies Support Optimal Brain Function

How would you like to support your memory and cognitive skills in your golden years? You can when you eat green leafy vegetables! A study found that people who ate a lot of leafy greens each day had slower rates of cognitive decline (1). In fact, leafy greens enabled them with a memory function equivalent to someone 11 years younger. This was even true after adjusting for other factors. Examples included lifestyle, education, and overall health.

As I mentioned earlier, organic greens contain high levels of folate (B9). B vitamins facilitate the production of neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemicals transfer messages from the brain to the rest of the body. Folate abounds in leafy green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and lettuce. You can also find it in fruits such as lemons, bananas, and melons.

2. Leafy Greens Reduce Belly Bloating

Many people struggle with bloating, due to diet, hormone imbalance, or gut infections. Furthermore, digestive issues such as leaky gut, SIBO, or Candida overgrowth. I have a secret that will help you get rid of belly-bloating. You guessed it, green leafy vegetables! 

Leafy greens contain high amounts of potassium. Potassium is a mineral and is also an electrolyte. This essential mineral keeps optimal fluid balance in your body. A diet high in sodium can trigger or worsen bloating. That’s why it’s important to keep sodium levels in check by adequate potassium intake. Adult women need at least 2,600mg per day, and men need at least 3,400mg per day (2)

A single cup of cooked spinach contains a whopping 840 mg of potassium to get you well on your way to meeting your daily requirements!

3. Green Leafy Vegetables Make Your Skin Glow

Beta-carotene, a form of vitamin A, is the plant pigment that we normally associate with carrots and other yellow-orange veggies. It is also hiding in leafy greens. 

Fall is one of my favorite times of year because the leaves change color. As they lose chlorophyll (the pigment that makes them green), you begin to see the red, orange, and yellow pigments that the green leaves contain underneath. It’s these vibrant colors that are also responsible for the amazing health benefits of leafy greens.

Beta-carotene can support a youthful glow in your skin and even works from the inside out as a natural sunscreen, protecting your skin from harmful UV rays. Kale is one of the best sources of beta-carotene. Research shows that cooking, juicing, or dehydrating organic greens like kale helps your body better absorb beta-carotene.

4. Leafy Greens Relieve Stress

A big green smoothie is a great way to start your day. It’s made with dark leafy greens, which are an excellent source of folate. Folate helps your body produce mood-regulating happy hormones such as dopamine and serotonin (3). Additionally, the magnesium in leafy greens can help support cardiovascular health (4).

5. Leafy Green Vegetables Support Bone Health

Do you remember those “Got Milk?” ads? The idea was that by drinking a glass of milk every day, you’d have strong bones. However, a large part of the population is sensitive or intolerant to cow’s dairy. 

What’s more, research shows that milk consumption has no protective effect on bone fracture risk. In fact, it may even increase the risk of hip fractures among women. That’s another great reason to ditch dairy. You can still get plenty of calcium for optimal bone health from eating organic greens. Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale contain high amounts of vitamin K. Vitamin K facilitates bone formation, as well as blood clotting.

6. Leafy Greens Support Healthy Aging

Aging may be non-negotiable, but keeping a youthful appearance is optional. You might as well call leafy greens the fountain of youth. Green leafy vegetables help delay the shortening of telomeres. Telomeres are the protective caps on our DNA that shorten with age (5). Once your body’s telomeres are completely gone, the cell dies. Broccoli sprouts, in particular, help preserve telomere length.

Eating leafy green vegetables also promotes skin health by protecting against harmful UV rays. The beta-carotene found in leafy vegetables converts to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It also smooths your complexion, reduces dullness, and stimulates cell turnover. The result is radiant, clear skin!

7. Improve Inflammatory Response

Eating organic greens supports a healthy inflammatory response. This can reduce your risk of developing chronic or autoimmune diseases. Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and collards are high in vitamin D. Vitamin D promotes the formation of T-cells. These T-Cells help differentiate between outside invaders and your body’s own cells (6).

8. Green Veggies Help Regulate Blood Glucose Levels

Eating a serving of leafy greens with every meal facilitates healthy blood glucose levels. Even one extra serving of green leafy vegetables daily can make a big difference in your blood glucose levels. Broccoli and broccoli sprouts are great for helping lower blood glucose levels. Spinach and kale, which are also high in vitamin C, are also leafy greens to incorporate into your diet to promote balanced blood glucose. 

9. Leafy Greens Support Optimal Gut Health

If you have leaky gut, food sensitivities, or autoimmune disease, eating dark leafy greens is essential to healing.

A recently discovered gene known as T-bet gets switched on by cruciferous veggies such as broccoli or brussels sprouts. This gene instructs precursor cells in your intestinal lining to produce innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). This helps seal up the tight junctions in your gut. The ILCs in leafy greens protect your body against gut infections. It also facilitates a healthy inflammatory response (7). Not only that, but they also support a healthy immune system response. ILCs also support an optimal balance between good and bad bacteria in your gut microbiome. 

10. Green Leafy Vegetables Tame the Toxins

A regular intake of organic greens is an essential component of The Myers Way®. It’s also another benefit of eating leafy greens. Dark leafy greens are expert detoxifiers thanks to chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the pigment that makes them green! Chlorophyll-rich foods bind to heavy metals and toxins in your blood and carry them out of your body. Chlorophyll also supports your liver to facilitate the creation of your body’s natural detoxing nutrient, glutathione. Examples of chlorophyll-rich foods include spirulina, chlorella, parsley, and alfalfa.

11. Green Vegetables Boost Digestive Enzymes

Digestive enzymes help your body break down and absorb nutrients from our food. As you get older, your body may stop making certain enzymes. One example of this is lactase, which helps break down lactose. Lactase is a sugar found in cow’s dairy. If you lack certain digestive enzymes, you likely experience bloating, constipation, reflux, and nutrient deficiencies. 

Leaky gut is one of the biggest culprits of enzyme deficiency. It’s also the root cause of inflammation from food sensitivities, chronic stress, genetics, and aging. Leafy green vegetables are one of the best foods you can eat to support digestive enzyme production.

12. Leafy Greens Support Your Immune System

I’ve mentioned this a few times before. However, it’s worth repeating. One of the most promising benefits of leafy greens is the way they support your immune system. Leafy green vegetables such as moringa leaf facilitate a healthy response to oxidative stress. Free radical damage leads to oxidative stress. Left untreated, it can lead to autoimmunity and heart disease. Studies specifically mention broccoli, arugula, and kale as vegetables that facilitate a healthy immune system response.

The Best Way to Get More Leafy Greens

In an ideal world, you would reap all the benefits of leafy greens from real, whole foods. That said, I understand not all of these foods are always available, in season, or grown in optimal soil. It can be difficult to get the benefits of leafy greens from diet alone. 

That’s why Organic Greens are a great option to have! This green superfood powder is perfect when you’re too busy to prepare a big salad or smoothie. It’s also ideal for when you’re looking to stay healthy while on the go.

One scoop of Organic Greens is a nutritional powerhouse. This green superfood powder contains 14 USDA-certified organic plant foods, including spinach, kale, alfalfa, moringa, and broccoli sprouts. 

It’s perfect for anyone who:

• Is looking to save a lot of time versus juicing their produce every morning
• Needs a tasty, inexpensive alternative to pricey juice bar offerings
• Travels often and wants a doctor-designed source of organic nutrition while eating out
• Wants to mitigate stress and balanced hormone health

Organic Greens is an easy and convenient way to ensure you’re getting all the amazing benefits of leafy greens! I drink a glass every day! 

Adding more green leafy vegetables into your diet is a great way to support optimal health. This green superfood powder can help reduce bloating and facilitate a healthy stress response. It also supports bone health, healthy aging, and gut health. Not only that, but it also helps reduce oxidative damage from free radicals. Leafy greens are a true nutritional powerhouse!