An overlooked vegetable in Spain that has twice the potassium of bananas and reduces inflammation in the body.
Good nutrition is essential to maintain health and prevent possible diseases. In fact, nutrition experts say that eating a diet rich in vitamins, proteins, fiber, and minerals helps improve your quality of life. Among the recommendations of experts are vegetables that should be part of the diet. daily meals for their great contribution to essential nutrients.
Among them is a green leafy vegetable recognized for its health benefits, highlighting its richness in vitamins K, A, E and B complex: Swiss chard. Contains important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron.as well as dietary fiber, which makes it beneficial for digestive health and prevents constipation.
In addition, chard has anti-inflammatory properties due to the antioxidants it contains, such as beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, which help reduce inflammation and are beneficial for preventing diseases such as osteoarthritis and protecting the heart. Scientific research supports its health benefits, especially in reducing oxidative stress.
Benefits of chard
Chard is a nutrient-rich vegetable that offers a variety of health benefits when consumed, starting with its contribution to heart health. Thanks to its magnesium content, it helps maintain a normal heart rate, while Potassium helps regulate blood pressure. In addition, it also helps improve bone health thanks to its calcium, magnesium and vitamin K content, which strengthen bones and help prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
On the other hand, this vegetable is one of the most recommended vegetables to protect the body from various diseases. joint related, such as osteoarthritis. Its high antioxidant content helps reduce oxidative damage to joints and surrounding tissues, while the vitamin C it contains helps maintain bone tissue and is responsible for protecting cartilage cells.
(This is a low-consumed vegetable in Spain that fights anemia and has antioxidant power)
In addition, it also has antioxidant properties that help protect cells from free radicals, reducing the risk of developing various chronic diseases and improving eye health. benefits, to which should be added the benefits obtained from its dietary fiber contentsuch as improving digestion and preventing constipation.
Chard is also useful for people who have diabetes or are at risk of developing it, as its consumption helps control blood sugar levels, and also for those who have the goal of losing weight, since, being low in calories and high in fibre, it can promote weight loss, largely due to its satiating effect. In addition, it is recommended to everyone for its contribution to good skin health and prevention of premature aging, which is due to its vitamin A and C content.
Thus, we are faced with a vegetable that has many more benefits than we might think at first glance, which is why it is highly recommended to include it in a healthy and balanced diet.
How to cook chard
Chard is a very underrated vegetable despite its many health benefits, largely because it is often cooked incorrectly. To better understand them in the kitchen, you need to know how to get the most out of them.
This vegetable is ideal for preparing dishes such as rice, risotto, salads…, When purchasing, it is advisable to choose the freshest ones, smooth and shiny to prevent the leaves from turning black and to keep them in the refrigerator until used. Alternatively, chard can be frozen, in which case it is advisable to first separate the leaves from the stems and then blanch for a minute. This way they will be much softer and can be quickly used in soups, curries, stews…
(Forget lettuce: three very similar vegetables, but they have much more nutrients than it does)
To cook fresh chard, you need to rinse it well under the tap to get rid of any remaining soil that may be in it, in addition to the usual removal of threads, threads that may curl into a ball when eaten, etc., best left aside.
The most common way to prepare them: cook them in salted water for several minutes, and then drain them and cook according to the recipe you want to make. However, in order to minimize the loss of nutrients, it is advisable to cook only in the water that remains after washing, without covering with a lid and stirring with a wooden spoon. This way they retain their color better and enhance their taste. When cooking this way, it’s a good idea to add a little lemon or apple cider vinegar to season them.
The possibilities this vegetable offers us are numerous, from being able to enjoy it raw in a salad to making rolls or wraps, including blanched, sautéed, braised, stir-fried or wok-fried chard. This way, every person can enjoy the benefits in the way they want and like the most.
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