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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 like the best green smoothie (or salad or soup or anything) as well as why it’s good to rotate your greens and try something like a kale banana smoothie every so often. Ready, set, go green!
Table of Contents
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 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 and beet greens), or as plants in their own right. They 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 Ultimate Dark 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 favorite 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. Kale has the highest level of antioxidants when consumed raw, yet does retain some health benefits when cooked. Try kale in this simple kale smoothie.
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 steamed, but adding them raw to your smoothies will provide greater health benefits. Try some alkaline recipes to experiment with collards.
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, blended in a cabbage smoothie or roasted cabbage with light seasoning. 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, my vegetarian 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. One 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 lemon arugula salad or strawberry arugula salad, homemade arugula pesto, or as a pizza topping on my incredibly delicious plant-based pizza recipe.
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 number 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 kick-start your love for dark leafy beet greens with some of their favorite recipes.
Chard
Looking to put a pep in your 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, 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 a heart attack.
Not a fan of lettuce salads? Then use romaine as a food wrap like I do in these Thai lettuce wraps or blend it into this gazpacho soup recipe.
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 like this carrot top smoothie.
If you really want to boost your next smoothie, toss in the carrot and its top.
How Often Should You Rotate Greens?
Most of the smoothie and meal recipes I create use kale or spinach. That’s because these are the most easily found and 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 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 green. And, this gives you a reason to try that new fun green you’re always eyeing at the farmer’s 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 and then storing them in freezer containers is the perfect solution to maximizing the freshness.
Bonus: Frozen greens can help keep that smoothie cool.
Leafy Greens FAQs
You’ve probably heard of spinach, kale and lettuce, but leafy greens also include carrot tops, beet greens, swiss chard, arugula and more! They can grow all on their own, or be found on the tops of other plants (like broccoli, beets and carrots).
All leafy greens are incredibly nutritious and great to mix into your diet. Kale and spinach are probably the most nutrient-dense, yet you need a variety of greens (and other fruits and vegetables) for the best health. Don’t be afraid to give a new one a try next time you’re at the store. You might be surprised by mustard greens, bok choy and more!
Greens don’t just take place in salads or garnishes for burgers. You can use them in green smoothies, all kinds of pesto, filling for stuffed mushrooms or potatoes. Pretty much anything you want! Next time you are grocery shopping, grab a new-to-you leafy green and get adventurous with how you prepare it.
The Ultimate Green Smoothie App
Our amazing app, Daily Blends Smoothie app., has hundreds of recipes ready for you to work your way through the leafy greens list! You can sort by the ingredients you have on hand or the type of smoothie you want to try. It’s a great app to try a new recipe and catalog your favorites.
What are your favorite 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!
I get the powerhouse greens mix and add spinach before I freeze them. I don’t get tired of my smoothie and actually make mine much thicker because I feel full longer and prefer my Simple Green Smoothies fresh! Thanks for all of the great info and delicious recipes!
Thanks for blendin’ with us, Tiffany! 🙂
I’ve bought a vita-mix blender and followed the recipe for a smoothie (from Ani Phyo). No matter which greens I use, the smoothie is always full of foam and I have to leave it on the counter for several hours before the foam disappears so that I can add more smoothie to my container (which makes 3 cups and I drink all day at work). I love my smoothies but it’s so time-consuming to wait around for the foam to be reabsorbed. Someone said it wouldn’t foam if you use organic produce but my organic still foams. Any suggestions?
Kelly Anderson
Add some avocado! Gives a nice smooth texture and you won’t get any foam.
Hi Kelly,
Vitamix is a powerhouse blender, but all of that power can add extra air to your green smoothie causing them to foam. We suggest once you’ve blended your smoothie, set your blender to its lowest setting for a few seconds to allow your smoothie to settle. You can also try adding healthy fats like avocado or coconut oil to help prevent any foaming.
Hope this helps!
Best informative web site I’ve found. Thanks
YAY!! Thanks, L.Davis! 🙂
Hi,
I hopeu can help I been drinking green smoothies for 1wk, the first 3 full detox of veggies & fruits and 4th onewards slowly eating meat & other carbs.. on the 8th day am starting to get really bad tummy ache plus diarrhea and feels nauseated .. am taking green smoothies with spinach and now and on day 14th it gets better but tummy ache still there.. its like my stomach is rejecting the smoothie now..
Had no problem on the first 5days… am i allergic to spinach??
pls help
Hi Lesley,
This can be a common symptom if your body is not used to drinking or eating lots of fiber. Green smoothies are high in fiber which is great for digestion, but for newbies, the high fiber can shock your body. Make sure you drink lots of water to help flush things out. And if you’re new to green smoothies one serving a day is enough, which is 2 cups (16 ounces).
Hope this helps!
Parsley wasn’t in your groupings – what family is it? I know it’s strong but I like it! Thanks!
Hi AJ,
Parsley is part of Apiaceae group, just like celery + cilantro!
Cheers 🙂
This website, first of all, got me extremely hooked on green smoothies. First thing I did after getting my summer job paycheck, was ordering my own blender for when I am at my dorm!
However, rotating greens has been something I have wondering a lot. Right now, I mostly vary between one week of spinach, one week of kale. I found out rucola (=arugula) is also a good replacement for kale and others, but I just wondered: do I really need to worry about alkaloid buildup if I keep up this system, where I spread about 4 smoothies across the week?
Another question I was wondering about, was about the freshness of for example the spinach. I leave it in the fridge and after a while, it of course starts to degrade a bit. Needs to worry about a few mushier or older leaves?
Thanks again!!!
Hi Didier,
We’re so excited to have you blendin’ with us! Worried about alkaloid build-up? While build-up is rare, it’s something we should be aware of. We suggest rotating between two different leafy greens per week. And then another two different leafy greens the following week. So one week you might buy spinach and kale, and then on your next shopping trip, you might buy romaine lettuce and swiss chard.
We suggest reaching for fresh greens, wilted greens don’t always yield the tastiest results! Finding your greens going bad too quickly? Freezing your leafy greens is a great option to prevent waste + it also great for your wallet! Learn all about freezing your leafy greens here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/how-to-freeze-spinach
Gee, thank YOU for that tip! It is masterly thought!!!
Be sure I will be using this one.
Now, to get a bit technical: this week, I bought myself a mélange of greens, that includes baby spinach, some arugula, field salad (flat, super-green leaves), etc etc… What are your thoughts on that, as you are, in my opinion, the Sensei’s of Green Smoothies? 🙂
Hi Didier,
Yum! We love blendin’ different leafy greens together! Way to get a great leafy green nutrition boost!!! We still suggest adding different greens to your smoothies week to week to ensure you’re rotating your greens!
Cheers 🙂
I don’t just put one type of green in my smoothie. I put Kale, Spinach, cabbage, chard, celery, etc and whatever vegie’s I have. If I use a variety of vegies, will it stop the alkaloid buildup?
Hi SKDS,
You’re a leafy green rawkstar! And adding a wide array of leafy greens to your diet will help prevent alkaloid buildup, so keep doing what you’re doing!
Cheers 🙂
I was wondering if emulsification (NutriBullet) reduces the potency or the useable nutrients of greens. I have Googled the question and the matter seems to be unsettled. Some say there is very little reduction and some say the greens must be chewed and swallowed because blending or emulsification destroys the nutrient content. Some sites mention the lack of scientific studies to know which is opinion is true.What is your view?
Hi Mark,
Great question! I believe that Dr. Mercola says that people shouldn’t blend because all the nutrients are lost within 15 seconds, or something like that. We do believe that nutrients begin to “go away” and oxalate, but we don’t believe this happens in 15 seconds. Our stance is that green smoothies stay good for you for up to two days, as long as they are in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
I am so confused about what I’ve been reading with regard to kale – “It causes hypothyroidsim” and so on. It seems that the more I work to improve my diet, the more I seem to read horror stories about all the foods I have been using (qinuoa, raw kale, raw almonds, farro, cruciferous veggies, chia…). How am I to determine how much of what to ingest, how often to ingest it, and exactly how much is too much? Also, how do I measure raw kale? Do I chop it the way one would chop parsley, then measure one cup of the mutilated result? Do I put “x” number of leaves in a smoothie? Should I eat kale every other day, rather than daily? Is it always best to balance a smoothie with a small amount of fruit, a small amount of kale, a bit of celery, a few almonds, one teaspoon of chia seeds…??? I have been making a 32-ounce green smoothie every day for months. Help! How do we sort through all the stuff online about “I ate kale for three days and developed hypothyroidism”, versus “Kale is the super-food of the millenium”? And (sorry about the volume) – is it better to steam kale before putting it in a smoothie?
Thanks so much!
Hi Karen,
Great questions! It’s important to rotate your greens. But to steer people away from consuming healthy amounts of fruits, vegetables, and create fear about eating healthy is sad to hear. There are some people whose bodies don’t respond well to high oxalates (which spinach + kale are known for having), but there are also people who can’t eat bananas, or mango, etc… It doesn’t mean everybody stops eating bananas or mango. It just means those few people who are allergic have to avoid it. Not everyone needs to avoid oxalates in their diet, but if you do, then you find alternatives. You can always check with your doctor to make sure, but it’s best to listen to your body.
Hope this helps!
Cheers 🙂
Please reply to my email. I started with green smoothies and into the 2nd week became extremely constipated and even taking a laxative didn’t help. I had to see my dr and she asked me what greens I used. I told her spinach, chard & kale. At Costco they had all three in a large bag and bought this so I could freeze. She told me kale was my problem because it was hard to digest in the colon and to stop using. Also I saw after 2wks that my almond milk had 2% iron, and my flaxseed has iron and some frozen fruits had iron. I have never been able to take any iron in vitamins because it would make me constipated. Just recently at health food found coconut milk with no iron. Sweet and unsweetened. Use this now along with coconut water.
Do you know of kale being hard on people. My dr’s MA told me she had a lot of gas with kale. Also forgot to mention I became so bloated and I am petite. My stomach had horrible pains.
I do not want to give up on making smoothies and she my dr told me spinach is good plus avocado. In 8 months my HDL & LDL cholesterol levels dropped so low and she told me it was the avocado which did this.
My question is chard also constipating. What are some greens I should avoid??? Please help I don’t want to give up my smoothie
Extremely grateful for your advice.
Helen
Hi Helen,
Thank you so much for reaching out! Everyone’s body is different, so everyone’s body + digestion reacts differently to new leafy greens. We’re so sorry to hear you were left bloated + constipated from blending with kale, next time you come across a kale recipe simply swap out kale for another leafy green you + your body enjoys more! Sensitive to iron, definitely skip almond milk for coconut milk, water, coconut water, or another low-iron liquid base option!
Next time your stomach isn’t feeling its best, reach for ginger! Two compounds found in high concentration in ginger, gingerol and shoga, may help the entire digestive tract to relief any discomfort from gas, constipation, diarrhea, and bloating. Here are a few of our favorite ginger recipes, it also adds a great spice to any green smoothie recipe…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/honey-turmeric-smoothie
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/strawberry-watermelon-smoothie
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/recipes
Cheers to a lower HDL & LDL, RAWK ON!!
Have you ever tried cauliflower greens? I’m out of everything in the house but have those in the garden.
Hi Kirsten,
You can absolutely blend cauliflower greens!!! You’ll find the cauliflower leaves a little bit firm and that they have a stronger taste than kale.
Reach back out + let us know how you enjoyed blending with the cauliflower greens.
Cheers 🙂
If I was to substitute cilantro for a green do I use the same amount? Thanks!
Hi Jennifer,
Looking to sub cilantro in one of our recipes? Check out our article on using herbs in your smoothies: https://simplegreensmoothies.com/fresh-herbs
Hello! Can I freeze greens like carrot tops, cabbage and herbs to use throughout the winter in smoothies?
Hi Bryn,
Of course! We love freezing leafy greens, it’s a great way to stock up when our favorites are in season, or even better on sale! Check out our favorite tips here…
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/how-to-freeze-spinach
I have thyroid issues and have to severely limit raw cruciferous vegetables. Cooked are on. Are cooked greens any good in smoothies?
Hi Karen,
We prefer to blend with raw leafy greens, but its worth a try to meet your dietary needs!
Good Morning! I’m confused. Again. I heard a nutritionist on the radio suggest dipping kale leaves in boiling/hot (?) water before using them in smoothies to get the best nutritional value out of them. What do you think Rawkers? I imagine it would make the older kale leaves a bit more compliant with the blender if you left them in there long enough.
Thanks!
Hi Sue,
We love our kale raw! If you find kale in its natural state tough, fibrous, and a little bitter, try massaging your kale! You can search online for more info. 🙂
I heard that if u drink to much green smoothies that u can have high oxalate levels in the body is that true.
Hi Tiffani,
That’s true! There are some people who’s bodies don’t respond well to high oxalates (which spinach is known for having), but there are also people who can’t eat bananas, or mango, etc. It doesn’t mean everybody stops eating bananas or mango. It just means those few people who are allergic have to avoid it. Not every one needs to avoid oxalate in the diet, but if you do, then you find alternatives to spinach. That’s why we think it’s important to rotate our greens between different leafy green families! You can always check with your doctor to make sure, but it’s best to listen to your body.
Cheers 🙂