9 Super Greens You Should Eat Every Day
Everyone knows that super greens are good for your health. They’re low in calories but a rich source of essential nutrients like vitamin K, vitamin A, various minerals, and disease-fighting antioxidants. But not all green vegetables are created equal.
If you just ate iceberg lettuce and cucumbers, you would miss out on a whole lot of nutritional goodness. To make the most out of your daily vegetable intake, here are 9 of the world’s healthiest green vegetables.
1. Broccoli
One cup of broccoli contains over 200% of your daily vitamin K needs, 123% of vitamin C, and a considerable amount of manganese (1). But broccoli isn’t just a superfood due to its vitamin and mineral content.
As a cruciferous vegetable, broccoli is rich in a powerful beneficial compound called sulforaphane. Researchers have found that sulforaphane can reduce inflammation, promote detoxification, and even cut down cancer risk by up to 40% (2, 3).
To maximize the sulforaphane content, either cut the broccoli into tiny pieces or chew it thoroughly. This helps convert the glucosinolate in broccoli into sulforaphane.
2. Watercress
Watercress is a champion among super green vegetables. This flavorful leafy green is so healthy the US Centers for Disease Control ranked watercress number one in nutrient density out of over 40 different superfoods (4).
Just one cup of watercress provides over 100% of your daily vitamin K needs—a fat-soluble vitamin essential for healthy bones and blood clotting. Research suggests that consuming vitamin K-dense foods can reduce certain cancers’ risk (5, 6). Another study found that eating around two cups of watercress per day reduced DNA damage associated with cancer by 17% (7).
Watercress is also rich in disease-fighting antioxidants, dietary nitrates that reduce inflammation, minerals including magnesium and potassium, and immune-boosting vitamin C (8, 9).
