This week’s boxes are full of fresh, delicious leafy greens: golden baby chard, kale and salad mix from Grown for Taste and certified organic purple mystique and mizuna from York Town Organics. Leafy greens are just about the healthiest thing you can eat – they’re full of a broad spectrum of vitamins including A, various Bs, C, E and K, and have very little sodium, cholesterol or carbs, and effectively no fat. This means you can pretty much eat as much of them as you want, which is handy as they’re also a rich source of antioxidants that play a role in preventing cancer and heart disease, and also have a high percentage of fibre, which is great for keeping things moving, but also helps you feel full longer and helps prevent certain types of cancer. Eating your leafy greens raw or with minimal cooking helps in getting the maximum nutritional benefit, and if you use monounsaturated oils like olive oil in any dressings you use that’s even better! Oils are a great vehicle for carrying flavour, so cooking greens like kale in oil (preferably unsaturated plant types) that’s been infused with other flavours (e.g. garlic, chilli) rather than cooking in water can also really make sure you’re getting the best out of these super foods.
