Importance of Green Leafy Vegetables in Day to Day life:

Importance of Green Leafy Vegetables in Day to Day life:

Eating green leafy vegetables are more beneficial for healthy body. It has plenty of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and water. These help in reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart strokes, cancer, bowel syndrome, constipation and diabetes.

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The high fiber content of the greens helps the digestion go smoothly. The high content of phyto-nutrients in greens can boost immunity. carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins are available in greens. In India, a wide range of greens consumed. The most popular ones being spinach, Amaranth, Gogu, Fenugreek, Drumstick leaves, khatta palak, dwarf copperleaf, malbar spinach, coriander, curryleaf, mint, etc.

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Leafy green vegetables are particularly rich in mineral nutrient and iron. Iron deficiency leads to anemia, a common health problem among pregnant and lactating women and also children. Inclusion of greens in daily diet would help to prevent anemia and promote good health. In India, nearly 30,000 children under five years of age go blind every year due to vitamin A deficiency. Betacarotene in greens gets converted in the body to form vitamin A which prevents blindness. To preserve vitamin c content in greens, prolonged cooking should be avoided, as this nutrient, which keeps gums in good condition is lost on overcooking.

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The recommended dietary allowance of green leafy vegetables for an adult women is 100gms/day, adult man 40gms/day, preschool children(4-6 years) and for boys and girls beyond 10 years of age it is 50gms/day. In India, greens are very inexpensive and nutritious. Cultivation of green leafy vegetables should be encouraged, so that, they will be available all through the year. Kitchen gardens, roof gardens, school gardens etc; are ideal for growing green leafy vegetables. Greens can be very sandy and gritty, especially when you get them fresh at the farmer's market, so they need to be washed well.

Remove the hard stalks, and soak them in salt water for half an hour before washing. Wash with cold water for 2-3 times and drain them well. This prevents germs, dust, dirt, etc; Prepare soups with leafy greens by adding salt, coriander or cumin powder as per the taste. This aids immune system. People prepare many dishes like curries, smoothies, soups, salads etc; finally, green leafy vegetables contain a lot of water which provides hydration to the body.