10 Superfoods Healthier Than Kale

Yard Dart · Nov 22, 2014

In the world of marketing, image is everything. If you’re James Franco or Roger Federer or Taylor Swift, your name and face can be used to sell anything from phones to watches to perfume—even if you’re not necessarily famous for the your tech-savvy, your promptness, or the way you smell.

In the food world, the biggest celebrity of all might be kale—the Shakira of salads, the Lady Gaga of leafy greens. It’s universally recognized that kale anything—kale chips, kale pesto, kale face cream—instantly imparts a health halo. Even 7-Eleven is making over its image by offering kale cold-pressed juices. And yes, kale has plenty of benefits—including high levels of folate and more calcium, gram for gram, than a cup of milk. (It’s head and shoulders above these items found in our Eat This, Not That! Special Report: “Health” Foods Worse for You Than a Donut.)

Still, kale’s actually not the healthiest green on the block. In fact, in a recent report published by the Centers for Disease Control that ranked 47 “powerhouse fruits and vegetables,” kale placed only 15th (with 49.07 points out of 100 for nutrient density)! Here’s a roundup of the 10 leafy green cousins that researchers say pack a greater nutritional wallop. Read ’em, eat ’em, and reap the benefits.

SUPERFOOD #10 Collard Greens

Nutrition Score: 62.49

A staple vegetable of Southern U.S. cuisine, collard greens also boast incredible cholesterol-lowering benefits — especially when steamed. A recent study published in the journal Nutrition Research compared the effectiveness of the prescription drug Cholestyramine to steamed collards. Incredibly, the collards improved the body’s cholesterol-blocking process by 13 percent more than the drug! Of course, that won’t do you any good if you insist on serving them with ham hocks.

SUPERFOOD #9 Romaine Lettuce

Nutrition Score: 63.48

Even more so than its cousin kale, the humble Romaine lettuce packs high levels of folic acid, a water-soluble form of Vitamin B that’s proven to boost male fertility. A study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found supplemental folic acid to significantly increase sperm counts. Get the man in your life to start craving Caesar salads, and you may soon have a baby Julius on board. (Ladies, this green packs health benefits for you, too! Folate also plays a role in battling depression, so change out your kale for Romaine and, while you’re at it, stock up on these other 8 Foods That Boost Your Mood.)

SUPERFOOD #8 Parsley

Nutrition Score: 65.59

Yes, that leafy garnish that sits on the side of your plate—the one they throw away after you eat the rest of your meal—is a quiet superfood, so packed with nutrients that even that one sprig can go a long way toward meeting your daily requirement for vitamin K. Moreover, research suggests the summer-y aroma and flavor of chopped parsley may help control your appetite. Astudy in the journal Flavour found participants ate significantly less of a dish that smelled strongly of spice than a mildly scented version of the same food. Adding herbs, like parsley, creates the sensory illusion that you’re indulging in something rich—without adding any fat or calories to your plate.

SUPERFOOD #7 Leaf Lettuce

Nutrition Score: 70.73

The nutritional Clark Kent of the salad bar, this common and unsuspecting leafy green is ready to take its place among the superfoods. Two generous cups of lettuce provides 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement for strong, healthy bones. A report from the Nurses’ Health Study suggests that women who eat a serving of lettuce every day cut the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent than when compared with eating just one serving a week. (What other foods might you be underestimating? Find out which are in your kitchen now in our 6 Surprising Superfoods.)

SUPERFOOD #6 Chicory

Nutrition Score: 73.36

Chicory is a family of bitter greens, but its most well-known member is radicchio, the small red or purple leaf that comes in a head about the size of a softball. It’s one of the best dietary sources of polyphenols—powerful micronutrients that serve a role in preventing disease. A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that people who consume 650 mg a day of polyphenols have a 30 percent chance at living longer than those who consume less than that. A cup of chicory leaves clocks in at about 235 mg (double that of spinach!), so consider adding a little leafy red into your leafy greens.

SUPERFOOD #5 Spinach

Nutrition Score: 86.43

Spinach is to kale what Michael Jordan is to LeBron James—the once unrivaled king now overshadowed by the hot new thing. But like MJ, spinach has a few more championship rings than its more current rival—primarily its position as a top source of biceps-building iron. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 180 gram serving of boiled spinach provides 6.43 mg of the muscle mineral—that’s more than a 6 oz hamburger patty! Recent research also suggest compounds in the leaf membranes called thylakoids may serve as a powerful appetite suppressant. A recently published long-term study at Lund University in Sweden found that having a drink containing thylakoids before breakfast could significantly reduce cravings and promote weight loss. On average, the women who took the spinach extract lost 5.5 pounds more than the placebo group over the course of three months. (It’s easy to see why spinach tops our list of the essential 8 Foods You Should Eat Every Day—click here to reveal the other 7.)

SUPERFOOD #4 Beet Greens

Nutrition Score: 87.08

Yes, the stuff they cut off and throw in the garbage before charging you an arm and a leg for “beet salad.” A scant cup of the bitter green serves up nearly 5 grams of fiber—that’s more than you’ll find in a bowl of Quaker oats! Researchers at the University of Leeds found that risk of cardiovascular disease was significantly lower for every 7 grams of fiber consumed. Try them in stir frys and eat to your heart’s content!

SUPERFOOD #3 Chard

Nutrition Score: 89.27

Chard. Sounds like “burnt.” It’s not as fun a name to drop as, say, “broccolini,” but it might be your best defense against diabetes. Recent research has shown that these powerhouse leaves contain at least 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, including anthocyanins–anti-inflammatory compounds that could offer protection from type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the University of East Anglia analyzed questionnaires and blood samples of about 2,000 people and found that those with the highest dietary intakes of anthocyanins had lower insulin resistance and better blood glucose regulation.

Related: 5 Daily Habits That Blast Belly Fat

SUPERFOOD #2 Chinese Cabbage

Nutrition Score: 91.99

Taking the silver medal in the powerfood Olympics is Chinese cabbage, also called Napa or celery cabbage. Rich sources of highly available calcium and iron, cruciferous vegetables like the cabbage have the powerful ability to “turn off” inflammation markers thought to promote heart disease. In a study of more than 1,000 Chinese women, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, those who ate the most cruciferous vegetables (about 1.5 cups per day) had 13 percent less inflammation than those who ate the fewest.

SUPERFOOD #1 Watercress

Nutrition Score: 100

The top dog, the unrivaled champion, the chairman of the cutting board, watercress may also be the closest thing yet to a true anti-aging food. Gram for gram this mild-tasting and flowery-looking green contains four times more beta carotene than an apple, and a whopping 238 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin K per 100 grams — two compounds that keep skin dewy and youthful. The beauty food is also the richest dietary source of PEITC (phenylethyl isothiocyanate), which research suggests can fight cancer. Results from an eight-week trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggest daily supplementation of 85 grams of raw watercress (that’s about two cups) could reduce DMA damage linked to cancer by 17 percent. Exposure to heat may inactivate PEITC, so it’s best to enjoy watercress raw in salads, cold-pressed juices, and sandwiches.
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10 Superfoods Healthier Than Kale

Motomom34 · Nov 22, 2014

Kohlrabi: Fast-Growing Superfood

The vaguely ugly kohlrabi might not be an obvious choice for the next ‘it’ vegetable, but this alien-esque bulb is a nutritional juggernaut. A mix between a broccoli and a cabbage, kohlrabi has a mild and sweet flavour that sits somewhere between a waterchestnut and a turnip — making it ideal for roasting, or blanching and serving in winter salads.

The harder to find purple kohlrabi variety contains anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant. But both green and purple kohlrabi are packed full of potassium, fibre, and vitamin C, and folate.

The kohlrabi is also anti-inflammatory and anti-viral. Let’s see kale do that.

- See more at: Is This the New Kale? | The Urban List
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Motomom34 · Nov 22, 2014

Good list @Yard Dart. Many of those are easy to grow.

Motomom34 · Nov 22, 2014

Also in the article linked is other links. On the romaine lettuce is a link- one of the 6 superfoods in disguise-

Iceberg Lettuce
Conventional wisdom suggests this salad staple is nutritionally bankrupt. But as it turns out, half a head of iceberg lettuce has significantly more alpha-carotene, a powerful disease-fighting antioxidant, than either romaine lettuce or spinach.
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Iceberg Lettuce | Eat This, Not That

I have never heard that iceberg was good for you. I have heard it was bad and actually had Pediatricians discourage me from feeding it to my kids because there was no value. They love the stuff and eat it all the time, quite often plain.

Yard Dart · Nov 22, 2014

There are a lot of people out their with opinions.... some are right, some have an agenda, some are bought off by a constituency, and others are just flat out wrong... research and learn what is best for you.... others may just send you down the wrong road for what is right.

Motomom34 · Nov 22, 2014

I have always approved of veggies. The Drs haven't always agreed but if figure veggies are better for you. If the child wants a can of green beans then okay, much better the fruit loops. Same with lettuce, it was fresh and they liked it.

I knew from talking to farmers that kale was a fad and not the king of superfoods, actually I think the term superfoods is not very old either.

BTPost · Nov 22, 2014

Marketing Hype.... Mostly BS.... Veggies that you find in any Grocery Store, are just fine, and plenty Good for even the pickiest Mom...

Dunerunner · Nov 22, 2014

Gotta get that greenhouse built!!

vonslob · Nov 22, 2014

i like kohlrabi,easy to grow here in the spring and late fall. Always have eaten it raw, it is something that you can eat without cooking. Never been a fan of kale, only eat it in soup. Had a roommate from the south turn me on to greens, collard greens, turnip greens. Greens are easy to cook and easy to grow.

Mindgrinder · Nov 30, 2014

Ugh...how to develop a taste for watercress....
Maybe as sprouts....hmmm....
As far as everything else on that list....meh.
Kale is king over any lettuce.....the worse it tastes the better it is for ya I figure.
Granted - everything on that list is easy to grow and cheap seeds so it certainly wouldn't hurt to put it all out for variety.

Purple Kohlrabi certainly looks cool in the garden.

Haven't tried the Superschmeltz yet though..

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