Yes, we know that Swiss chard is not everyone’s favorite dish, much less children’s, but once we find out all the benefits of these leafy greens, we’re going to want to add Swiss chard to our diet right away. In addition, this food is not only used in salads and boring dishes, but can be used in creams, pizzas, empanadas, fillings, etc.
All green leafy vegetables we have said are beneficial for the body, so chard could not be missing from our list. This vegetable is also known as spinach chard, Swiss chard, leaf beet, beta, armuelle, spinach beet, etc.
Nutritional values
The nutritional values of chard, like other foods, are calculated in portions of 100 grams. That does not mean that it is the recommended daily amount. In some cases, both data may coincide, but not in chard and in a few paragraphs we will know why chard should not be abused.
A handful of 100 grams of chard contains 19 kilocalories, 3.7 grams of carbohydrates, 0.2 grams of fat, 1.10 mg of sugar, almost two grams of fiber , 1.80 grams of vegetable protein and more than 90% is water.
This green leafy vegetable also has vitamins and minerals, among which we will highlight: 150 mg of sodium, 105 mg of calcium, 3.3 mg of iron, 40 mg of phosphorus, 81 mg of magnesium and 380 mg of potassium. And it also has vitamin A, B1, B2, B3 and C.
Maximum daily amount
Whatever we do, we have to be clear about one thing, not to exceed 45 grams of chard a day . If we overdo it, it is not serious either, but we have to take into account the percentages of vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber, fats and others, and add it to everything we consume in a day.
Swiss chard, like spinach, are not toxic or cause irritation in the digestive system, or anything similar, you just have to be careful with age (we will see it in the contraindications section) and with nitrites. Swiss chard has large amounts of nitrites, in fact, it is one of the vegetables that has the most.
The AESAN recommends that you always cook and avoid eating raw as much as possible, keep it in the refrigerator and wash the leaves very well before cooking and consuming them to reduce the amount of nitrites.
How to preserve and eat them
Swiss chard, like other green leafy vegetables with little base flavor, need some help to be introduced into our daily diet. We are going to give some ideas, such as chard with tomato sauce, vegetables and pasta (you can also add chicken), lasagna with chard, as an ingredient in salads and pizzas, chard sautéed with potatoes and paprika, rainbow chard with ham, stuffing for potatoes, battered, fritters, cannelloni, etc.
We can eat chard up to the stem and it is recommended to cook them in water for a few minutes to enhance their natural flavor, preserve many of their nutrients and make them more digestible.
Some tricks to preserve them better are, take them out of the package in which they are packed and put them in a tupper or container that we can close hermetically. Inside that container we can put a moistened napkin to favor the conservation of the chard.
Another conservation idea is to cut them raw and store them in containers or freezer bags, that way we get only the amount we need and they last for several weeks without spoiling. We can also cook them and freeze them later.
Main benefits of eating Swiss chard every day
There is nothing perfect in this world, so, despite the fact that it is a vegetable that we do not like too much, it is an excellent ingredient for our diet thanks to the benefits it brings to our body.
Heart-healthy
A handful of chard a day does not work miracles, but it does help little by little to prevent the most common cardiovascular diseases in adulthood.
This is thanks to antioxidants such as vitamin C, and phytonutrients that are responsible for regulating blood pressure. In this way, heart attacks such as heart attacks and cerebrovascular accidents are considerably reduced.
In addition, the natural antioxidants of this vegetable, and all those that we take throughout the day will prevent arteriosclerosis , that is, that the blood vessels lose flexibility and become rigid and hard.
Bone health
Several times in our lives, we have talked about how important green leafy vegetables are thanks to their calcium proportions. Chard was not going to be less and has 105 mg (approximately) of calcium per 100 grams of product. This translates to promoting bone health, including teeth as well.
We can add chard to our diet and thus “avoid”, or at least reduce and delay the onset of osteoporosis in adulthood. Remember that we have to lead a healthy life, exercising daily and eating a balanced and varied diet rich in vegetables, fruits, seeds, cereals and legumes.
Avoid constipation
This green leafy vegetable favors digestion and intestinal transit, reducing episodes of constipation thanks to its soluble fiber content. In addition, this food is essential for those who have gastritis and hemorrhoids, as it promotes and softens the expulsion of stool.
To avoid all this, you have to eat between 25 and 50 grams of chard every day. And it is not only useful for the digestive system, but they are also good allies to detoxify and cleanse the kidneys and avoid liver problems.
Reduces dermatological conditions
Swiss chard contains botina and these stimulate the hair follicles. This boils down to the fact that our hair will be stronger, shinier and healthier by promoting blood circulation. In addition, this work is joint with the vitamins provided by chard, which are mainly group B and the result is that they manage to regulate the capillary sebum and that of the skin of the whole body.
This also reduces acne, but as we have said in separate foals, there are no miraculous properties, only a slight help, so, if we have problems with acne or oily skin, it is time to visit a dermatologist to put an end to those problems.
Contraindications
Let’s not cling to contraindications to avoid the consumption of chard. They are a very important and very nutritious food that benefits the body. What we must do is pay attention to these contraindications in case we fit into some of the profiles that we indicate below.
For example, if we have kidney stones, we should consult our trusted doctor if we can introduce chard in the diet or not. This is because this green leafy vegetable contains a small amount of oxalic acid that precisely favors kidney stones .
One of the biggest and most dangerous contraindications of Swiss chard is nitrites. These are naturally in dozens of vegetables, especially those with green leaves. Swiss chard has large amounts of nitrites and that is why it is a prohibited vegetable for children under 3 years of age, as it can cause blue baby syndrome.
Nitrates themselves do not pose any risk, the problem comes when these nitrates are converted into nitrites within our body. Nitrites react with hemoglobin (milk protein responsible for transporting oxygen). What’s going on? That hemoglobin loses interest in oxygen and stops carrying it, which could lead to death if the body is not healthy enough to go from methemoglobin to hemoglobin.
