Remember when your parents used to stack your plate up with green vegetables and never let you have any dessert until you finished. They actually might have been onto some thing with those green vegetables.

5 of the healthiest vegetables comprise broccoli, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce and Swiss chard. Each of these vegetables, characterized by their own green shade, are filled with natural antioxidants and usually have large amounts of Vitamin C.

It seems that in the past three years, antioxidants are everywhere on the news. They have been proven to reduce some of the risk of cancer and build up the immune system.

Several food products will usually lose nutrients when cooked. The great thing about these dark green vegetables is that you could find them easily in your grocery store and they also taste great with almost no food preparation, maintaining much of their nutrients intact.

This is some important information about all of these healthy vegetables:

1. Broccoli is a very good green vegetable. As a matter of fact, the tiny buds are like tiny flourettes which contain more than twice the amount of Vitamin C of an orange.

Broccoli is a very good supply of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. It not only meets both kinds of fiber needs, but it's also a rich source to include to your diet.

Broccoli also helps rebuild sun-damaged skin, reduces the possibility of heart disease, and enhances the immune system. At the same time, it also promotes strong bone growth on account of its large amounts of calcium.

2. Kale is a slightly bitter, leafy green vegetable with a large amount of folic acid and potassium.
The folic acid found in kale is a great addition to your diet in case you have poor hair, skin and nails.
Additionally, the potassium assists to promote the breakdown of lactic acid in muscle tissues after having a exercise session, and it is an excellent food to help defend against muscle soreness in the recovery process.

3. Swiss chard very close to spinach, which has a little more of an earthy undertone. Packed with Vitamins C and K, and also calcium, Swiss chard is a great inclusion to salads.

Vitamin K helps to promote healthy eye and brain function. The next time you have to invest several hours staring at a computer screen or studying for that big exam, try some Swiss chard.

4. Spinach is a green vegetable that's loaded with antioxidants, rich in flavor and in Vitamins A and C, and iron.

Spinach is jam-packed with important vitamins and minerals to develop healthier brain function as well as tough bones and muscles.

Next time you have a salad, give it a try with spinach rather then lettuce for a slight variety.

5. Lettuce may be the very last thing that comes to mind when you just imagine dark green vegetables. While many of the softer shades of lettuce, for instance iceberg, will have very little nutritional value.

Romaine lettuce, while still composed primarily of water, is packed with antioxidants and fiber.The darker green the leaf, the more folic acid is present, which prevents heart disease.

Lettuce is wonderful for diet plans due to the fact that it is very low in calories.

Magnesium, found in romaine lettuce, helps to revitalize muscular tissues, the brain and the nerves.

You can find chlorophyll in lettuce and that is excellent in keeping normal hair color.

Lettuce is high in iron, which helps the formation of red blood cells.

While you may have been made to eat your green vegetables as a child, now you understand why it was so essential. Even today, your green vegetables are necessary to your own health and well-being. Try all of these green vegetables in some new recipes, they may taste better than you think.

Author's Bio: 

John Oxnard created FitnessLeadsToGoodHealth.com to help you find real value in fitness and weight loss. He is passionate about sports, leading a healthy lifestyle, and everything related to physical fitness. To learn more visit his sight at www.FitnessLeadsToGoodHealth.com Latest Article: What Brain Exercises Can I Do To Improve My Concentration and Focus