Why Eating Green Leafy Vegetables is Good (For Me)

My Mom Always Cooked Green Leafy Vegetables

In my momma’s kitchen, growing up there were always pots on the stove. I don’t know if it was because she liked them or because it was cheap food that she could feed a lot of people or both. But at least 2 or 3 times a week there was always a huge pot of collard greens on the stove. My mom used to go to a farm and pick her own bunches of collards. The price she would pay at the grocery store versus picking the veggies herself at the farm was way cheaper! My mother always cooked as if she was preparing for a small army to come and feast! I come from a large family (there were 9 of us). In addition to keeping her own children fed, my mother’s brothers (my uncles) also had a habit of dropping by our house and checking to see what “Sis” had in the pots. We also had random visitors, who knew there was always something to eat at our house who would come looking for a meal. My mom never refused anybody. If there was food in the pot, they were welcome to it!

So when dieticians and nutritionists encouraged people to eat green leafy vegetables, I’m like: ‘They’re not talking to me. Because I ate collard greens from the time I could chew food until I left my home to live on campus and pursue my BBA degree at university.’

Why I Stopped and Restarted Eating Greens

Why I Stopped Eating Greens

I graduated from university, got married, and guess what? My husband’s mom did not make huge pots of collards. In fact, she never made them! He didn’t really start eating this green leafy vegetable until he came to America (he’s from The Bahamas) and he wasn’t really a fan. Consequently, I didn’t cook collards and I got out of the habit of eating this dark green leafy vegetable and similar vegetables.

• Did you know? Eating a lot of greens can be good for your eyes.

Why I Started Eating Greens Again

For the past few years, since so many health and wellness experts are touting the health benefits of green leafy vegetables, regardless of my husband’s food preferences, I made a conscious decision to try to include or reincorporate these veggies into my diet. The compelling research has indicated that dark green leafy vegetables promote heart health, can prevent certain cancers, and are an excellent source of many important vitamins and minerals that were missing from my diet.

Fortunately, I don’t have to go to a farm like how my mom did. They sell collards, mixed greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, swiss chard, kale, and all kinds of cabbages (Napa, bok choy, etc.) in the local grocery store and the price is very reasonable. The greens come canned, frozen, or fresh. I love the dark green leafy vegetables and buy them canned. There are two brands on the store shelf that are very tasty: Glory Foods and Margaret Holmes.

It turns out my husband has also decided that he wants to add cabbage to his meals, in soups, in stir fry, or in salads. He likes fresh bok choy and green cabbage. So it has been very easy for me to follow through on my decision to reincorporate green leafy vegetables in my diet. It has been a change in my eating habits that has benefitted me.

Have you made any significant conscious dietary changes recently?

♦ Related Links:

Healthy Eating Tips : Eat Your Greens! Drink Your Carrots!

Know Your Sorrel (A Green Leafy Plant That Resembles Spinach)