Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesRaw FormsPreparation and NutrientsWays to Eat Them
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Raw Forms
Preparation and Nutrients
Ways to Eat Them
Green vegetables, especially leafy greens, are one of the healthiest things to include in your diet. They are packed withmicronutrients(vitamins and minerals) your body needs to prevent disease and maintain well-being.
The healthiest green veggies are those with the darkest color because they are more nutrient-dense.Common green vegetables in this category includekale,spinach, and romaine lettuce, but all green-hued vegetables are considered green veggies.
This article lists green vegetables, including ones you can eat raw. It also discusses how the preparation method impacts green vegetables' nutrients and how to start eating more greens.
Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images
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List of Green Vegetables With Highest Micronutrients
Micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals in foods. Humans must obtain them from food because, aside from vitamin D, the body does not produce them.
There are many micronutrients, but there are six that are particularly important due to their impact on health and development, which include:
Green vegetables are a significant source of these micronutrients.
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Leafy Greens
Dark leafy green vegetables include vitamins A, C, K, antioxidants, fiber, folate, magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium.Some leafy green vegetable options include:
Leafy greens offer many proven health benefits. For example, studies have found that eating one serving daily of leafy greens may help slowcognitive declinewith aging.
Plus, green leaves are great for your heart. Researchers have found that people who consume green leafy vegetables have lowercardiovascular (heart) diseaseincidences.
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Non-Leafy Greens
While leafy greens get the most attention for health benefits, non-leafy greens also contain many micronutrients. Non-leafy green veggies include:
These veggies containfiber, many vitamins, including A and C, and minerals like calcium and iron.
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Green Vegetables You Can Eat Raw
The great news is that green veggies are one of the easiest vegetables to incorporate into your diet because many don’t require cooking and can be eaten raw. The best greens to eat raw include:
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Effect of Preparation Method on Micronutrient Content
Cooking reduces the nutrient content of foods, including those found in green vegetables. But, how much nutrient loss occurs depends on the nutrient and the preparation method.
When it comes to vitamin C, researchers found that boiling can destroy vitamin C, while steaming or microwaving retains higher concentrations of this vitamin.
Powdered Greens
How to Start Enjoying Green Vegetables
The best way to start enjoying green vegetables is to find the ones you like. You may hate steamed, unseasoned Brussels sprouts, but enjoy them when roasted and tossed with toasted nuts.
Here are some other ideas for enjoying green vegetables:
It’s difficult to say which green veggies taste the best because everyone is different. So, if you’re new to eating green vegetables, experiment with different variations and recipes. To start eating them consistently, it’s best to mix them up and prepare them in different ways to increase their appeal.
Summary
Green vegetables—especially green leafy veggies—are full of micronutrients your body needs to stay healthy. They include broccoli, kale, romaine lettuce, zucchini, peas, okra, and more. Many of these veggies can be eaten raw, but plenty of cooking methods produce flavor and retain nutrients. Preparing them in various ways can inspire you to increase how often you consume this essential food group.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Michigan State University.Do dark colored foods really have more nutrients?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Micronutrient facts.Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.How to get your kids to eat dark leafy greens.Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL.Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study.Neurology. 2018;90(3):e214-e222. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004815Ojagbemi A, Okekunle AP, Olowoyo P, et al.Dietary intakes of green leafy vegetables and incidence of cardiovascular diseases.Cardiovasc J Afr. 2021;32(4):215-223. doi:10.5830/CVJA-2021-017Lee S, Choi Y, Jeong HS, Lee J, Sung J.Effect of different cooking methods on the content of vitamins and true retention in selected vegetables.Food Sci Biotechnol. 2017;27(2):333-342. doi:10.1007/s10068-017-0281-1
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Michigan State University.Do dark colored foods really have more nutrients?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Micronutrient facts.Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.How to get your kids to eat dark leafy greens.Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL.Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study.Neurology. 2018;90(3):e214-e222. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004815Ojagbemi A, Okekunle AP, Olowoyo P, et al.Dietary intakes of green leafy vegetables and incidence of cardiovascular diseases.Cardiovasc J Afr. 2021;32(4):215-223. doi:10.5830/CVJA-2021-017Lee S, Choi Y, Jeong HS, Lee J, Sung J.Effect of different cooking methods on the content of vitamins and true retention in selected vegetables.Food Sci Biotechnol. 2017;27(2):333-342. doi:10.1007/s10068-017-0281-1
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Michigan State University.Do dark colored foods really have more nutrients?.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Micronutrient facts.Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.How to get your kids to eat dark leafy greens.Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL.Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study.Neurology. 2018;90(3):e214-e222. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004815Ojagbemi A, Okekunle AP, Olowoyo P, et al.Dietary intakes of green leafy vegetables and incidence of cardiovascular diseases.Cardiovasc J Afr. 2021;32(4):215-223. doi:10.5830/CVJA-2021-017Lee S, Choi Y, Jeong HS, Lee J, Sung J.Effect of different cooking methods on the content of vitamins and true retention in selected vegetables.Food Sci Biotechnol. 2017;27(2):333-342. doi:10.1007/s10068-017-0281-1
Michigan State University.Do dark colored foods really have more nutrients?.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Micronutrient facts.
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.How to get your kids to eat dark leafy greens.
Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL.Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study.Neurology. 2018;90(3):e214-e222. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004815
Ojagbemi A, Okekunle AP, Olowoyo P, et al.Dietary intakes of green leafy vegetables and incidence of cardiovascular diseases.Cardiovasc J Afr. 2021;32(4):215-223. doi:10.5830/CVJA-2021-017
Lee S, Choi Y, Jeong HS, Lee J, Sung J.Effect of different cooking methods on the content of vitamins and true retention in selected vegetables.Food Sci Biotechnol. 2017;27(2):333-342. doi:10.1007/s10068-017-0281-1
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