Step aside salad; you're no longer the only way to get dark leafy greens into my diet. I'm sharing a leafy green list of greatness with you as well as how to use greens in a smoothie + why it's good to rotate your greens. Ready, set... go GREEN!

What are Leafy Greens?
Leafy greens are super important for a healthy diet. They're nutrient dense, green veggies that provide tons of vitamins and minerals. According to research by the US Department of Health and Human Services, a daily serving of leafy greens can lead to slower age-related cognitive decline.
Greens can be found as the tops of other plants (here's looking at you, carrot tops), or as plants in their own right. Leafy greens come in all shapes, sizes, textures, shades, and seasons. They aren't even all in the same plant family. If your taste buds have ever balked at something dark green and leafy, never fear! I've got some great new options for you to blend.
The Leafy Greens List
I often talk about rotating your greens. This is because greens come from all different plant families, each offering different health benefits. Yet if spinach is your jam, no worries! Your body will tell you when it's time for a leafy green change-up. Read on to learn about some different types of greens, as well as my fave options in each family.
Crucifers
Kale
Having a health issue? Kale can help with that. Seriously, kale is at the top of the superfood chain. With 684% of the recommended daily value of vitamin K, 206% of the RDV of vitamin A, and 134% of the RDV of vitamin C, this dark leafy green packs a health punch. The National Library of Medicine states that kale has the highest level of antioxidants when consumed raw, yet does retain some health benefits when cooked.
Collard
Like their other cruciferous family members, collard greens are great cancer fighters. They are also pretty good at helping your body digest foods properly with all the fiber inside. They are most popular as a steamed, dark leafy greens, but adding them raw to your smoothies will provide greater health benefits.
Cabbage
Cabbage is yet another example of a cruciferous cancer-fighting leafy green. This veggie can actually be purple, red, white, or green, but is definitely still considered a leafy green. I love using cabbage as a plant-based taco shell, or blended in a smoothie. Loaded with fiber, folate, vitamin B6, and antioxidants which help fight inflammation.
Bok Choy
This unique green vegetable is typically grown and harvested in China. Full of vitamins A and C, bok choy ranks high for nutrient density as well. All parts of the plant can be used: shredded in a salad or ramen, cooked in soup, or blended in a smoothie.
Arugula
More than just a garnish, this leafy green has a peppery taste and a full nutrient profile. 1 cup contains 27.7% of the RDV of vitamin K. It has a stronger flavor than other cruciferous greens on my list, yet is fun in salad, pesto, or as a pizza topping on my incredibly delicious plant based pizza recipe in Simple Green Meals.
Amaranth:
Spinach
It's hard to beat spinach when talking about nutrient packed greens. Just one leaf contains a sampling of more than 20 different nutrients. The list of benefits is nearly as long as the amount of nutrients:
- cancer fighting
- blood pressure lowering
- bone strengthening
- cardiovascular helping
- brain boosting
- skin smoothing
- vision improving
- inflammation reducing
- energy increasing
Beet Greens
I recommend branching out and trying beet greens for your next smoothie! They include a wide variety of nutrients, and can easily be substituted in any recipe with spinach, kale, or chard. Our friends at Epicurious will kickstart your love for dark leafy beet greens with some of their fave recipes.
Chard
Looking to put a pep in you leafy green step? Chard is a colorful, dark leaf known for its ability to regulate the body's blood sugar. Translation? If diabetes or maintaining blood sugar levels is a concern, then add this veggie to your regular rotation. Perfect for the afternoon smoothie pick-me-up!
Asteraceae:
Romaine Lettuce
Romaine lettuce is good for the heart and low in calories. The vitamin C and beta-carotene content help to lower cholesterol and prevent build up on artery walls, which reduces the risk of heart attack. Not a fan of salads? Then use romaine as a food wrap with some hummus + fresh veggies!
Apiaceae:
Carrot Tops
Who knew those frilly greens on the tops of carrots could come in handy? #nofoodwaste Filled with chlorophyll, which can fight against tumor growth and acts as a cleansing agent, carrot tops are the perfect addition to smoothies. If you really want to boost your next smoothie, toss in the carrot + its top.
How Often Should You Rotate Greens?
Most of the smoothie/meal recipes I create use kale or spinach. That's because these are the most easily found + affordable leafy greens available at the grocery store. Plus, they are in different leafy green families, so it makes rotating my greens easy peasy.
Alkaloid Build Up
Why is it important to rotate through this leafy green list? All greens have small amounts of toxins. If you only consume greens from one family, your body may start to experience alkaloid build up. This is very rare, and easy to avoid. Just try a new/different leafy green every once in a while. I recommend rotating your greens once a week. This way, your body doesn't get too much of a good thing in one leafy green family, and you get the chance to reward your body with new nutrients from a different green family.
Basically, by rotating greens on a regular basis, you avoid building up the toxins from one leafy green. And, this gives you a reason to try that new fun green you're always eyeing at the farmers market. While our green smoothies are super easy to swap out one green for another, I've also got a meal planner full of plant based recipes. Rawk the Year makes finding new recipes a breeze, and helps you incorporate the whole rainbow into your week. This meal planner also equips you with the kitchen skills to change up your veggies with ease!
Freezing Your Leafy Greens
Ever wonder how to use up all that beautiful produce you just bought, before it starts to wilt? Even though I make green smoothies daily, I still find that my greens never stay fresh as long as I need. To lengthen the shelf life of those leafy greens, and make rotating your greens as easy as opening your freezer, I came up with a way to freeze your greens. This way, you can have your greens and eat them too! Since I typically buy spinach and kale at Costco, I found that freezing them in ice cube trays then storing in freezer containers is the perfect solution to maximizing the freshness. Plus, frozen greens can really help keep that smoothie cool.
The Ultimate Green Smoothie App
Our amazing app, Daily Blends, has 100s of recipes ready for you to work your way through the leafy greens list! Click here to get it.
What are your fave leafy greens? Drop a comment below and let me know if this list has inspired you to try a new ingredient, or if you've got a new green for me to try!
Sobia
After how many days its ideal to rotate spinach r else greens?
I have available with spinach..and very often coriander
And cabbage alao.
Beet greens r seasonal.
So what would be the way to rotate my greens..as i have only one or 2 greens
Plz guide
Simple Green Smoothies
Jen's fav thing to do is to switch out greens once a week. So if you're only using 2 greens, use one the first week, the other the next, then switch back and forth week-to-week. This will keep any toxins from one particular green from building up in your system (which is rare, of course).
Kim Thompson
I recently bought a bunch of radishes with the leafy greens and wondered about using those. Are there any green vegetable tops that shouldn’t be consumed?
Simple Green Smoothies
Hi Kim! Radish tops are totally fine to blend up - great idea! Many other 'tops' are great to add to your smoothies - especially carrot tops. We'd stay away from the leaves of potato and rhubarb plants though, as those can be toxic. When in doubt, check with a nutritionist or doc to be sure before consuming.
Simple Green Smoothies
Hey Nick,
Way to blend while in college! That looks like a delicious smoothie. If you're drinking it in place of a meal, I recommend adding a healthy fat + a protein to make it a complete meal. Not getting enough fats + proteins may be the reason for your 5pm slump and/or your feelings of grouchiness. You can read about our favorite fat + protein combos here: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/meal-replacement-smoothie
Jessica
This is such a wide-ranging list! I know it doesn't include every leafy green out there but it's a great start for those of us who are looking to expand our smoothie ingredients beyond spinach and kale! 🙂
Simple Green Smoothies
So glad we can help expand your tastebuds + help you find more great smoothie ingredients!
Erin
This is awesome! Can't wait to look for some new leafy green options next time I grocery shop. I love that you can swap any green out in smoothie.
Simple Green Smoothies
I love that, too! And I love experimenting with greens I wouldn't normally think about using in my smoothies.
Meg
Hi!
I have a question about your article about freezing greens in ice cube trays. You mention 2 cups spinach in the blender and 1/2 water. Do you mean 2 cups spinach and 1 cup water?
I love the green protein powder that I bought from you!!!!
Meg
Simple Green Smoothies
Hi Meg! It should say 1/2 cup of water (sorry about that and we'll get it updated). We use just a small amount of water because the main goal is to preserve the greens and we need just enough water to help blend them into a liquid you can pour into your ice cube trays. Start with 1/2 cup of water and if you feel like you do need more, add just a little at a time until your spinach (or other leafy green) is completely blended.
Also, so glad you love the Protein Smoothie Boost!!! 😀