This Overlooked Leafy Green Is In Season Right Now—and Packed With Nutrients

Swiss chard may be thought of a “leafy inexperienced,” nevertheless it isn’t solely inexperienced—its stalks can vary in coloration from yellow and orange to pink and purple, incomes it the nickname “rainbow chard.”

However this often-overlooked vegetable has advantages past its magnificence. It’s a nutrient powerhouse, supporting the whole lot from intestine well being to the immune system. And in contrast to some extra widespread greens, Swiss chard thrives not simply within the fall, winter, and spring however in the summertime months, too—making it a seasonal choice at many grocery shops and markets.

“You possibly can develop Swiss chard all through the warmth of excessive summer season—it’s way more heat-tolerant than spinach or lettuce,” Lindsey Beatrice, MENV, communications assistant for the Flatiron Farmers Coalition, instructed Well being. 

Interested by Swiss chard? Learn on to study the way it helps well being—and the tastiest methods to get pleasure from it this summer season.

With regards to nutrient density, Swiss chard delivers—and even beats out different greens in the case of vitamins like nutritional vitamins A and Ok.

“Kale and spinach are likely to steal the highlight, however Swiss chard is a nutrient-packed leafy inexperienced that provides coloration and flexibility within the kitchen,” Kaitlin Hippley, RDN, LD, CDCES, licensed diabetes educator and registered dietitian in Cleveland, Ohio, instructed Well being.

Right here’s what to know concerning the dietary make-up of Swiss chard:

It Comprises Loads of Antioxidant-Wealthy Plant Compounds

“Swiss chard incorporates an abundance of phytonutrients, together with beta-carotene, lutein, betalains, and apigenin,” Alison Ellis, MSc, RD, registered dietitian and founding father of The Toddler Kitchen in Victoria, British Columbia, instructed Well being.  

These plant-based compounds have been proven to have anti-inflammatory and presumably antimicrobial properties, she mentioned. In addition they act as antioxidants, that are substances that may stop or delay cell harm by neutralizing free radicals, which may hurt cells.

It Has Extra Vitamin Ok Than Some Different Leafy Greens

Swiss chard boasts extra vitamin Ok per serving than different leafy greens like spinach and kale. One cup of uncooked Swiss chard has about 250% of the each day worth (DV) for vitamin Ok, “supporting coronary heart well being and blood clotting,” mentioned Hippley.

Vitamin Ok additionally performs a essential function in wholesome bone formation, making this leafy inexperienced an unsuspecting champion of bone well being.

It Has a Comparatively Excessive Fiber Content material

Swiss chard is excessive in fiber, with one cooked cup containing 4 grams.

Fiber regulates digestion and gives prebiotic assist to the intestine microbiome, nourishing the wholesome micro organism that comprise this microbial neighborhood.

Moreover, fiber “promotes fullness by including quantity and slowing digestion, serving to to reduce blood sugar spikes after meals,” Hippley mentioned. Over time, frequent and constant blood sugar spikes can contribute to the event of kind 2 diabetes, coronary heart points, and different issues.

It’s Loaded With Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Magnesium, and Different Vitamins

In the meantime, this summer season inexperienced incorporates a hefty quantity of vitamin A—one cup of uncooked chard incorporates 2,200 worldwide models, or 73% and 94% the really helpful each day worth for women and men, respectively. Vitamin A “performs a key function in cell manufacturing and wholesome imaginative and prescient,” Hippley mentioned.

Swiss chard can also be full of vitamin C, with 12% of the really helpful each day worth coming from only one cup of uncooked chard. Not solely does vitamin C act as an antioxidant, nevertheless it additionally helps tissue progress and restore, pores and skin, blood vessels, and extra.

You may as well discover a stable dose of key minerals:

Magnesium (29.2 milligrams per cup, 7% DV)
Manganese (0.1 milligrams per cup, 5% DV)
Iron (0.6 milligrams iron per cup, 3% DV)
Potassium (136 milligrams per cup, 3% DV)

The advantages of Swiss chard may need you keen to select some up on the retailer, however what do you have to search for when buying?

If you happen to don’t snag this leafy inexperienced at your native farmer’s market or farm stand, you’ll discover it close to the opposite leafy greens within the produce part—chard ought to be simple to identify because of its brightly coloured stalks.