The Omega Diet by Artemis P. Simopoulos

Author:Artemis P. Simopoulos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 1998-08-10T16:00:00+00:00

Get to Know Your Greens

Eating seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day is a vital component of The Omega Plan. These wholesome foods give you fiber, iron, magnesium, calcium, folic acid, antioxidant vitamins, and phytochemicals. Dark green leafy vegetables contain LNA as well.

Most Europeans eat far more greens than we do. Greeks eat vast quantities of greens, which they refer to generically as “horta.” The Italians have a special term, “mangia-foglia,” which means “to eat green leaves.” An American visitor to a European open-air market will see dozens of green leafy vegetables, most of them unfamiliar. In addition to this wide selection, many Europeans delight in foraging for wild greens in the countryside.

Until very recently, spinach was the only dark green vegetable most Americans would eat. This left out a long list of nutritious greens, including arugula, beet greens, broccoli raab, chard, chicory, dandelion greens, collard greens, endive, kale, mustard greens, purslane, romaine, turnip greens, and watercress. These greens have been slow to catch on because many of them have a slightly bitter or peppery flavor, which can be a bit of a shock to people who are used to iceberg lettuce.

Now, greens are coming into their own, partly due to the newfound popularity of salads made from mixed greens. Called mesclun in France and saldini or misticanza in Italy, this type of salad is a medley of greens, often accented with spicy greens such as arugula, watercress, basil, and radicchio. Some restaurants serve mesclun as their standard salad, throwing in a few edible flowers for added color. Mesclun has become so popular that some supermarkets carry prewashed mixed greens packaged in plastic wrap, a great convenience for busy people. They may be labeled as “European greens,” “baby greens,” or “spring greens.” To make a great salad, all you have to do is pop open the wrapper, dump the greens into a salad bowl, and sprinkle with olive oil, lemon or vinegar, salt, and pepper. It takes just a few minutes.

Below is a brief introduction to some lesser known greens. If you are hesitant to venture into this verdant territory, begin with young plants and add them sparingly to salads made from milder and more familiar greens.

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