"Dark leafy greens are the best vegetables!" — Dr Greger. Why? A glance at
Greens article at NutritionFacts will explain why. Leafy Greens have dozens of health benefits because they are packed with a dizzying array of different micronurients!
In this article, Dr Greger says,
Fruits and vegetables are the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, and dark green leafy vegetables lead the pack. Each of the top five so-called powerhouse fruits and vegetables were greens.
Should we blend leafy greens into a smoothie? The same article explains:
If we blend them up in a smoothie (or soup or sauce), we’re taking the food with the most nutrition and breaking all the cells to dump that nutrition into our bloodstream. Chewing is good, but blending is better in terms of digestive efficiency and nutrient absorption.
… but we should also chew our smoothie, so we can serve the smoothie in a bowl and add some toppings like non-blended banana or pomegranate seeds to encourage chewing. For details, see
Smoothies.
How many servings of leafy greens do Americans eat? This video by Dr Greger explains:
"Non-vegetarians ate an average of 0.1 cups of dark green vegetables a day; the vegetarians ate 0.15 cups."
Leafy greens are notoriously challenging to eat. Why? In
this video, Dr Goldhamer suggests an explanation: greens have very low calorie density. Given a choice between two foods, we instinctually gravitate towards high calorie density foods.