In Arizona, our Yuma farmers know that eating greens are vital to staying healthy, strong, and boosting immune systems. Well, okay they may be a bit biased too since Yuma reigns as the Winter Lettuce Bowl in the country.

But, this is all true. Eating more leafy greens is healthy for you! Leafy greens, especially the dark green ones, are packed with phytonutrients, protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. To get you more in the mood to eat leafy greens, here are some cool facts about them.

1.       The darker leafy greens are rich in A, C, E and K, and broccoli, bok choy and mustards are also rich in several B vitamins.

2.       Kale contains more Vitamin C than oranges.

3.       Bok Choy, though celery-like in appearance, belongs to the cabbage family.

4.       Collard greens have been studied for their ability to lower cholesterol.

5.       Cabbage dates to the 1600s. Some drink juiced cabbage for stomach and intestinal issues.

6.       The Vitamin K contained in dark leafy vegetables is good for protecting bones from osteoporosis and helping prevent against inflammatory diseases.

7.       The most appealing benefits of dark green leafy vegetables is their low calorie and carbohydrate content and their low glycemic index.

8.       Romaine lettuce is one of the five lettuce types and an excellent source of folate and vitamin K.

9.       Spinach is a natural hydrator with raw spinach 91% water. It’s an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K, folate, potassium and fiber.

Last Saturday, on Rosie on the House our topic was leafy greens and our farmer guest was John Boelts from Yuma. We spent the entire hour talking about farming, Yuma, leafy greens and more.

If you didn’t get a chance to tune into KTAR 93.2FM to listen to the 8:00 am broadcast, we provide the podcast here. The most important thing to remember is that Arizona (including Maricopa County) is supplying all the winter leafy greens to United States and Canada in the winter. Maricopa County is also producing quite a bit of our winter vegetables to the rest of the country.

And, don’t forget our direct market or retail winter farmers growing for local markets. You’ll find the most amazing mix of leafy greens at any of our Arizona farmers markets. Arizona farming is vast, diverse and amazing!

So, to your health! Load up on those dark leafy greens!!!

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