Spotlight on Collard Greens
Spotlight on Collards Greens—Leafy Green Series
This week we focus on collard greens. Like most of the other leafy greens, collards greens are high in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, folate and calcium. Being a member of the cruciferous family gives it a cancer-preventing quality as well. Collard greens are also know to lower your risk for cardiovascular disease and it also contains anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Because collard greens are fairly high in oxalates, some special considerations need to be made for collard greens (as well as spinach and swiss chard). If you already have kidney or gallbladder problems it would be best for you to avoid oxalate containing foods. If those problems run in your family you might want to consider limiting them as well. Other than that, if you are in good health, oxalates won’t cause much harm if eaten in moderation. It is not advisable for anyone to each huge quantities of oxalate containing foods every single day (for example, eating a huge spinach salad every day.)
For more information on oxalates please see the article below:
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48
For almost everything you’ve ever wanted to know about collard greens (including more in-depth nutritional information) check out this site:
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=138
Recipe Links
I have not tried all of these recipes. I can not vouch for their good taste. Also some ingredients may not be optimal. Please make your own healthy substitutions as needed. But for the most part I considered the ingestion of these (and all) leafy greens worth any small ingredient problems.Collard Green and Black Eye Pea Soup
Braised Winter Greens with Chickpeas, Onions, and Garlic
Have any favorite collard green recipes you’d like to share with my readers? Post in the comment section.