Spotlight on Swiss Chard

Spotlight on Swiss Chard—Leafy Green Series

Eat your leafy greens. Dark green leafy vegetables are good for you. You need to eat more dark green vegetables. You hear this all the time, but do you know how to incorporate more leafy greens into your diet?

That is the purpose of my leafy green series. Check out all my posts on leafy greens. They talk about how nutritious leafy greens are for a little motivation and then give you links of several recipes to try. (to find my other posts type in “leafy greens” into the search bar)

This week’s focus is Swiss chard. Swiss chard contains high amounts of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese and potassium as well as healthy doses of iron and vitamin E. It contains a little less calcium than most other leafy greens but some of its other nutrients including its wide variety of phytonutrients and antioxidants make up for that small lack.

The other thing that needs to be mentioned about Swiss chard is that like collard greens, it contains oxalates (which contribute to kidney stone formation). Please see my post on collard greens and the link to more info on oxalates below:

http://www.cherylcope.com/spotlight-on-collard-greens/

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=48

For almost everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Swiss chard (including more in-depth nutritional information) check out this site:

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16

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.

Red Chard and Carmelized Onions

Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans and Tomatoes

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard and White Beans

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard and White Beans

Greek Style Garbanzos, Greens and Tomatoes

Have any favorite Swiss chard recipes you’d like to share with my readers? Post in the comment section.