Brassicas and other leafy green vegetables for a nutritious diet

Increased family consumption of any form of green vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, is a real challenge, but it's worth it for better health. 

"We hate broccoli and we have not liked it since we was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And we are president of the United States, and we are not going to eat any more broccoli. 'It was George Bush Senior speaking at a news conference in March 1990 and it caused a media uproar way out of proportion to its content. 

There were smiles and sympathy from those who shared the President's feelings about broccoli, but health specialists, "Foodies" and vegetarians, not to mention the mothers were indignant, while outraged broccoli farmers promptly dumped a truckload front of the White House. Since then, reputation and availability of green vegetables improved, but many families still do not contain enough leafy green vegetables in their daily good eating plan. 

Broccoli is one of the brassicas, a huge family from which come many of the plants we know as 'greens', even in this case only sprays of tightly bunched green flower buds are cooked and eaten instead of leaves.

The brassicas also:

    * Cabbage in all its forms, from curly endive Savoy, the heavy heads' in green, white and even purple cabbage and Chinese cabbage. 

    * Brussels sprouts, these mini-cabbages, which grow on long stalks and coarse displays around Christmas, often to a mixed reception. 

    * Cauliflowers - where only the Curdy-type flowers are eaten as the leaves are tough and tastes bad. 

    * Far Eastern types such as mizuna greens, pak choi and oriental mustard, all of which can be eaten raw. 

    * Kale, including Chinese Cabbage, Collard greens, spring greens and other loose-leaved green vegetables. 

More about food, green leafy vegetables with a past and a future.

The common ancestor of all brassicas was a rather rough-looking sea kale, which grew wild in temperate coasts, even in northern winter. Its coarse, dark green leaves should be cooked well to make them digestible, but at least to eat healthy food like this kept people fitter than a winter root vegetable and bread diet alone, from the banks of Ireland's Sea of Japan. 

One problem was that as people became richer and could afford more meat or other more "refined" food, they tended to abandon brassicas and other cooking greens due to their bitter taste and tough fibrous leaves - not to mention the length of cooking time and clingy smell. 

Selective cultivation came to the rescue with a whole range of more tasty and exotic brassicas with tender leaves, which can be eaten raw, steamed or sautéd oil to preserve vitamins. New forms of brassicas dolls all the time, including broccolini, a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese kale.

Other Cooking Greens for a nutritional diet

A rule of thumb seems to be that greener, darker and stronger flavor cooking greens, the more good they are unlikely to make you - so long as they are cooked or prepared properly. Other well-known green vegetables groups that provide good nutrition are: 

    * Spinach (Spinacia) - a large group whose edible series is much better with baby spinach 'magazines. 

    * Beets, where the green tops are edible, including chard and 'perpetual spinach. 

Less known is bitter leaf (Vernonia), although it is common in Africa where it grows wild or cultivated in a wide range of climatic and soil conditions. Bitter leaves can be cooked as a side dish using a basic cabbage recipe, but is often added to soups and stews. It's great reputation as a medicine for gastrointestinal complaints. Such traditional cooking greens can now be purchased online dried them lack the authentic taste of Africa. 

Why Leaf Green Vegetables should be part of good nutrition 

numerous studies have confirmed that green leafy vegetables tend to be rich in all kinds of healthy ingredients, beginning with Vitamins A, C, C and E, to minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium, and up to the fiber for the digestive tract system. 

The only thing that falls by the wayside in this context, mixing types of lettuce leaves, especially too popular iceberg lettuce, a portion as a result of good nutrition are considered to be as effective as drinking a glass of water. 

Seasonal cooking fresh greens were some of the traditional diet even before agriculture began. Check out new varieties of what is on offer locally. Many are now available worldwide, from stalls to ultra-grand food halls in the swankiest neighborhoods. Or try growing your own greens for 'just picked' freshness.