Why It's Important to Eat Leafy Green Vegetables Especially for Vegans

Leafy green vegetables are incredible for our health. They are often put up on a pedestal in the nutrition world, and for good reasons. This article covers why it’s important to eat leafy green vegetables and aim to include them in your daily diet, especially for vegans.

A healthy diet needs to be balanced, and enjoyable. So, please don’t obsess over getting in your leafy greens because you will be just fine if you miss out for a few days (or weeks).

This article covers:

What are leafy greens: a list of leafy green vegetables
Nutrient content of leafy greens
Health benefits of leafy greens
Why eating leafy greens is especially important for vegans
How to cook with leafy green vegetables

Sign up for the Veg Out newsletter to get vegan recipes and nutrition content from a Registered Dietitian!

What are Leafy Greens: A List of Leafy Green Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables are any plant leaves that humans eat as a vegetable. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of edible plant leaves out there. When most people think about leafy greens, only a few examples readily come to mind.

The term dark leafy green is also common. To my knowledge, there is no hard-and-fast rule about the distinction between a dark leafy green and one that isn’t. Take a look at the produce you are buying to see if your greens are dark or not. If you are seeking the most nutrition value possible, aim for darker and more pigmented leaves.

The other question that comes up when defining leafy green vegetables is how to classify red or purple pigmented leaves. I include them in the leafy green category because I use them in the same way as leafy greens that are actually green. However, due to their pigment, red or purple leaves have different antioxidant profiles. It’s good to aim for a variety of colours in your produce selections, so feel free to get some purple kale or radicchio into the mix!

Here’s a list of leafy green vegetables you can start adding to your dishes:

Kale	Spinach/ Water spinach	Dandelion greens
Brussels sprouts	Arugula (aka rocket leaves)	Endive
Chard	Cabbage	Watercress
Pea shoots	Rapini	All types of leaf lettuce
Mustard greens	Radicchio	Yau choy/ yu choy
Collard greens	Swiss chard	Microgreens
Broccoli*	Turnip greens/ beet greens	Gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli)
Bok choy and Shanghai bok choy	Herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano, mint, thyme, etc.)	Gai choy (aka Chinese mustard greens)

*Broccoli is not technically a leaf but rather a flower; however it is easy to place into the category of leafy greens because of similar nutrient composition.

Nutrient Content of Leafy Green Vegetables

Leafy green vegetables are nutrient powerhouses. They’re also good sources of fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, beta carotene, B-vitamins, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium. They are low in calories and therefore don’t provide much carbohydrates, fat or protein.

Each leafy green provides a slightly different combination of nutrients. This is one of the reasons why variety is key!

Leafy green vegetables are also an excellent source of antioxidants including carotenoids and polyphenols. Antioxidant compounds are very beneficial to human health and increased intake is commonly associated with lower risk of some types of cancer, cardiovascular disease including stroke ¹^,²^,³, depression ⁴, macular degeneration ⁵, and diabetes ⁶, in addition to improvements in asthma symptoms ⁷, sleep quality ⁸, and lung function in COPD ⁹.

Anti-nutrient Content of Leafy Green Vegetables: Impact of Oxalates on Nutrient Absorption from Leafy Greens

Oxalates are often touted as an “anti-nutrient” or something that doesn’t have nutritional value in humans and may inhibit absorption of other nutrients. Oxalates are found in many plant foods, and are also produced by the body as an end-product of some metabolic pathways. We cannot breakdown oxalate in our body; therefore it must be excreted through urine.

Oxalates bind to calcium in the digestive tract. This binding prevents both the oxalate and calcium from being absorbed. This is good because we don’t want to absorb too much oxalate, as it increases the risk of kidney stones and possibly other conditions (although research is limited) ¹⁰. At the same time, oxalates are a main factor limiting the amount of calcium we absorb. If a diet is high enough in calcium, there shouldn’t be an issue with consuming oxalate-containing foods as enough calcium will get absorbed. The recommended amount of calcium to consume daily is based on a 25% absorption rate.

Leafy greens are an important source of calcium in vegan diets. However, due to the high content of oxalates in some leafy greens, calcium absorption can decrease to almost zero. This is an issue if you rely on leafy greens to provide a source of calcium, and if you only eat leafy greens high in oxalate.

Low-oxalate Leafy Greens and High-oxalate Leafy Greens ¹¹

There’s debate over the accuracy of the methods used to determine the oxalate content of foods. Kale and turnip greens sometimes land on the high-oxalate list, but absorption of calcium should be adequate from these two greens ¹⁰. Leafy greens that are low in oxalate include:

Bok choy
Kale
Mustard greens
Turnip greens
Watercress
Broccoli
Romaine lettuce
Brussels sprouts
Collard greens

It’s also helpful to know what leafy greens are high in oxalates. This doesn’t mean these foods aren’t healthy, just that they are not a reliable source of calcium because absorption would be quite low. If you want to limit the oxalate content in these leafy greens, you can boil them and discard the water. Leafy greens that are high in oxalate are:

Spinach
Beet greens
Swiss chard
Endive

There are other foods high and low in oxalate content, but I’m keeping the focus to leafy greens for today.

Health Benefits of Leafy Greens

There are many research studies linking vegetables, green vegetables, leafy vegetables, and the individual nutrients found in abundance in green leafy vegetables with positive health outcomes.

The two main benefits of increased vegetable intake are decreased risk of cardiovascular disease ¹⁸^,¹⁹ and cancer ²¹^,²²^,²³, thought to be largely due to the vegetables’ antioxidant content ²⁰. Green leafy vegetables are also a source of dietary nitrate, which may help lower blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease ¹⁶. Nitrate from vegetables is shown to decrease the thickness of the common carotid artery ¹⁷. Carotid artery thickness is an indicator of heart disease risk, where a thicker carotid artery is a sign of atherosclerosis and increased risk of heart disease.

Research also suggests consuming leafy, fibrous vegetables lowers risk of metabolic syndrome ¹², decreases type 2 diabetes risk ¹⁵, and lowers risk of eye disease, including macular degeneration ¹³. Furthermore, polyphenols, which are found in leafy green vegetables, are thought to help with brain health ¹⁴.

Don’t forget, you will also benefit from the vitamin C, beta carotene (vitamin A precursor), vitamin K, fibre, folate, other B-vitamins, magnesium, potassium, iron and calcium.

Why Eating Leafy Greens is Especially Important for Vegans

As you can see, there are many health benefits associated with adding more leafy greens into your diet. Leafy greens are a great source of nutrition for omnivores and vegans alike. But the purpose of this article was to raise the point that leafy greens might be especially important for vegans.

My reasoning for this is largely the calcium content of leafy greens. Vegan diets can provide adequate amounts of calcium, especially if someone is consuming fortified non-dairy beverages (ex. Almond milk, soy milk etc.). However, not all vegans consume plant-based milks or make non-dairy milks at home, which means they do not receive calcium fortification.

If a vegan doesn’t consume fortified beverages, it becomes more difficult to meet daily calcium requirements. Leafy greens can be a huge help to fill that gap as long as you select low-oxalate leafy greens. Leafy greens can provide a huge calcium boost and be a great addition to a healthy vegan diet which is why they are my number one recommended source of calcium for vegans. Even if you do consume calcium-fortified beverages, you will need some calcium from other sources, and leafy greens are my first choice.

Calcium is often an overlooked nutrient as the effects of low intake occur over years, or even decades. It’s still very important to meet calcium needs, even if you won’t see a direct benefit for the health of your bones until later in life.

“Junk-food Vegans”: Can you be Vegan without Fruits and Vegetables?

Another reason I think it’s important for vegans consume leafy greens is for all the other nutrients and health benefits they can provide beyond just the calcium. With the rise in processed vegan foods, there is now a category of vegans who call themselves “junk-food vegans”. I’m not a fan of labeling food as “junk” because all foods can fit into an overall balanced eating pattern. However, relying solely on processed vegan foods is not the most health-promoting approach. All vegan foods are great for the animals (which is the point) but strictly from a nutrition standpoint, many of these foods do not deserve the health halo they have received.

So, if you are a “junk-food vegan” and are looking to boost your nutrient intake, leafy greens would be my first suggestion. If you’re not a “junk-food vegan” and looking to boost your intake of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, you can add in leafy green vegetables. And lastly, if you are an omnivore looking for these same nutrients and health outcomes, add in some leafy greens.

One last point I would like to make is that there’s nothing wrong with consuming processed or “junk” foods. They can make a vegan diet fun, tasty, nostalgic and are a source of nutrition.

How to Cook with Leafy Green Vegetables

There’s debate over the benefits of raw vs cooked vegetables, including leafy greens. There is sub-group of vegans who promote a raw-food vegan diet (although, from what I’ve seen, it seems this group is getting smaller). Eating raw foods is great; if that’s the way you enjoy your food. However, there is no harm in consuming cooked foods, including vegetables and leafy greens. Research seems to agree that some nutrient content might be lost from freezing or cooking, but much of the nutritional value is preserved. Some nutrients might even become more active or better absorbed after they have been cooked.

As noted above, if high-oxalate leafy greens are boiled and you discard the cooking water, it can lower the oxalate content of the food, which can be a benefit of cooking high-oxalate leafy greens.

Since leafy greens are so healthy, I personally think it’s best to get them into your diet in whatever way works for you. However you can work leafy greens into your eating routine is fine. Cooked, raw, blended or hidden in something else…. Go for it!

How to Maximize Nutrient Absorption from Leafy Green Vegetables

Some of the beneficial compounds in leafy greens are fat-soluble. This means that they require fat to be absorbed and transported around your body. The fat content of leafy greens alone is very low. Research suggests adding in a small portion of fat to leafy greens (and other vegetables) can help boost absorption of these important nutrients.

If you make a salad, the dressing likely contains some fat which is great. Otherwise, it’s best add a source of fat to the dish you are eating your greens with. If you make a smoothie, why not add some avocado or hemp seeds. If you cook leafy greens, add nuts or seeds or top the dish with avocado. If you cook with oil, it’s likely enough fat to maximize absorption.

Getting Enough Leafy Greens: My Best Tips

I personally struggle with eating enough leafy greens. I admit it, it can be hard sometimes. My own struggle seems to stem from forgetting that I can cook with greens; I often only think about greens in terms of making a salad. Well, I live in Canada, where it’s freezing cold for half the year and during these winter months, I’m far less inclined to eat a salad.

The best method I’ve found for myself is to purchase frozen kale or a frozen leafy greens mix (typically a blend of kale, collard greens and spinach). The greens are chopped up, won’t go bad for months, and are easy to toss into whatever I’m cooking. These greens aren’t going to work for raw preparation, but are perfect to use in hot dishes. Add them at the end of the cooking time because frozen vegetables are almost always blanched and this is often all the cooking leafy greens need to be tender.

My second tip is to buy pre-cut or ready-to-go greens that are already washed. My personal favourites are spring mix or baby kale (I choose kale over spinach when I can because of the high oxalate content of spinach). My local grocery store also sells “kale slaw” which is a blend of shredded broccoli stems, Brussels sprouts, kale, and a very small amount of purple cabbage and carrot. This slaw mix is amazing because you can toss it fresh onto anything or make a quick salad. The best part is, if it starts to go bad, it’s great to cook with. I wouldn’t typically want to cook spring mix, but this slaw is great in hot dishes too.

I don’t know about you, but having to remove stems or wash individual leaves seems so tedious. Even though I fully appreciate the health benefit of leafy green vegetables, my motivation for prepping them sometimes lacks. That’s why prepared greens are amazing. If you struggle with leafy greens spoiling before you can use them, try to buy smaller amounts more frequently or try frozen options.

I’ve made it a personal goal to increase my intake of leafy greens so using them becomes part of my routine. Do you have any nutrition goals right now? If so, please share them in the comment section below!

Join the Community for Vegan Recipes

References cited:

Please note that this is a curated list of references for the topics above and is not intended to be comprehensive.

Disclaimer: always speak with a doctor before changing your diet. Please read our full website disclaimer.