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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!
Started having smoothies daily for diagnosis of MS, question though, should I be peeling veggies and what about ginger?
Hi Jill, I usually don’t peel veggies or ginger. In my opinion it doesn’t make a difference and is a waste of time. The only think I can think of to consider peeling are beets. Hope this helps!
I enjoy blending spinach, kale and parsley together every day, and changing the fruit (sometimes bananas, sometimes mangos, sometimes apples, etc.) and liquids (sometimes almond milk, sometimes coconut water). Will this create alkaloid buildup?
Hi Katie!
The best thing is for you to be conscious about it, and you should be fine 🙂 We can’t really say for individuals what will or will not happen.
O-oh, I have been having spinach every day in my smoothie after being told I should avoid cruciferous vegetables due to an overactive thyroid. I will have to try and alternate with romaine and others. Thanks for the tip!
Hi Kerry!
If you’ve had a physician tell you to avoid them, then please listen to them! This article is not written specifically for someone with an overactive thyroid.
Great info.love drinking these smoothies everyday.thanks
Vijaya
What’s the best way to measure the greens? Should it be 2 cups packed like brown sugar? Or loosely like flour?
Hey Bree—we pack the greens in! The more the merrier. 🙂
I just want to start by saying I love this website and following you ladies on IG. I have a Ninja blender and this week I have been adding Curly Kale this week to my smoothies. Yesterday, I added 1 leaf and today, I added 2 leaves of the Kale. Today I felt like I was constantly chewing the Kale. And I ended up blending it a second time to get the Kale smaller but I was still chewing it. Any suggestions on how to blend the Kale better? I blended the Kale w/ frozen blueberries, a handful of strawberries chopped, greek yogurt and added water. I also added additional water to try to assist with the blending of the Kale.
Great question, Megan. 🙂
You definitely want to always blend your greens and liquid base first until it nice and smooth. Then add the remaining ingredients and blend agin. This post should also help:
https://simplegreensmoothies.com/how-to-make-a-smoothie
Try a better blender, my Vitamix Professional 750 has no such problem, silky smooth smoothies every time
Im sure the Ninja is perfectly suitable. (A definite contender for the price!!) even some vitamix users will say to blend the greens with water/liquid first. I’m just starting out, with a Ninja might I add, & so far so good as long as I blend those greens first 🙂 (with spinach I’ve had plenty of success without pre blending as well)
I’ve been making green smoothies for the past week and I love them! I have only tried spinach. I have a picky eater on my hands. Ironically, it’s not my toddler. It’s my husband! I was wondering. Have you ever tried mustard greens? Are they very strongly flavored? My husband doesn’t really mind the spinach but I’m nervous that he won’t want to drink a smoothie with any other greens. Thanks!
Hi Megan!
Mustard greens have a pretty strong flavor. What about kale? Kale and spinach are two of our favorites!
Thanks for the long list of greens!
I wouldn’t have thought of using cabbage…
I was wondering if putting herbs in was ok? I guess it is – just adjust according to taste?
You sure can put herbs, Anneri 🙂 We would prefer to still use about two cups of regular leafy greens and using a handful of herbs. They can be pretty strong compared to leafy greens!
Im a lactating mom..can i take green smoothie..i would like to use cucumber,celery,lemon and some apples..and how often can i take green smoothies..
In most cases it is a good thing to eat healthy foods while breast feeding (i.e. leafy greens, fruits, veggies) so green smoothies could totally be beneficial to you and your little one. Try not to eat anything 30 minutes before or after your green smoothie to allow the fruits to digest in your body quickly. But to be on the safe side, we would recommend speaking to your personal health care provider to see if they recommend any foods to avoid. We like having 16 ounces (or two cups) per day! Hope that helps! 🙂
I love to rotate my Veggies or mix them up in my green smoothies! The one that I dislike most (for blending) is Mustard Greens … The taste was way too intense!
Ya… The taste is pretty distinct 🙂
Hi, I been drinking green juice for over two months and I notice what you mention tingling on my fingers. My base for liquid is always cucumber, celery, carrots, and then I add leafy greens, kale, beets, parsley, cilantro what ever greens I have. Do I need to stop drinking them please help, I do suffer from thyroid , please help.
Hi Diana,
The best thing we can recommend is to see a nutritionist or doctor. Neither of us are qualified to diagnose you, and it is always better to have an in person consultation. Please let us know what your physician says if you do go!
I have been making a blender full of green smoothie every morning, having a glass and putting the rest in mason jars in the fridge. I have another smoothie around lunch and MAYBE one around dinner. My green smoothies have a blender full of greens (usually spinach or kale), liquid, fruits, and veggies. Is drinking them as often as i do dangerous in any way? Basically, I have about 3 mason jars of green smoothie a day. I love them!
Hi Ellen!
There are two main suggestions we would make:
1) Make sure you are using a variety of fruits, veggies, superfoods, liquids, etc. Having a variety will give your body the variety of nutrients it needs 🙂
2) Make sure to switch your greens up every now and then. There shouldn’t be too much to worry about, but build-up can happen if you use the same greens every single day for months at a time 🙂
I tried the beginners luck smoothie today and I have to say I was surprised, it’s actually not so bad. Can’t wait to try some different stuff, although I might stick to spinach a little longer. I can’t find kale in my area, so I might just substitute it with what I have.
Way to go! Keep it up, Blanca!
Hi Girls! I’m up to day 18 of the challenge YAY!! But the last few days I’ve felt a bit squirmy in the stomach and just a bit sick and tired. I don’t think it’s a virus so do yu think it could be an alkaloid build up? I have spinach most days but have had the occasional kale or broccoli base.
It probably isn’t alkaloid build-up. Try to be drinking lots of water. If you haven’t had a high intake of leafy greens before doing the challenge then it can take your stomach a bit to re-adjust 🙂
I just wanted to say “You Rock”! I am so happy for you and that is really so awesome that you are up to day 18. You are an inspiration to myself and I am sure many others. Keep up the Great Work Rochelle.
Thank you for sharing this with us!
Cheryl …
My grocery sells an organic spring mix that contains the following: Tango, Lolla Rosa, Red and Green Romaine, Red and Green Oak, Red and Green Chard, Spinach, Mizuna, Radicchio, Frisee, Beet Greens, Arugula, Tatsoi, and Red Mustard.
This spans several groups of greens and has things that aren’t even on the list. If I stick with this every day (I really like it), can I avoid rotating greens? I would seem like an easy solution. Most salad mixes aren’t very green, but this particular seems to pack a lot of punch.
It would probably be better than sticking with just one green constantly, but we still think the best idea is to rotate through different greens one at a time 🙂
Hey Grirls!
I’m joining the 30 Day challenge. Today I found savoy cabbage St my farmer. Any Suggestionen for it? Can I use it for my smoothies?
I’m a little afraid of bloating up… You know… ahem…
Nice greetings from Germany!
Stefanie
Hey Stefanie! I’ve added cabbage to my smoothies before– try to do 1 cup spinach with 1 cup cabbage to help keep the taste mild. 🙂
That`s what I did! Thank you for answering my question!
I love the challenge, though all people around me can`t understand why I`m drinking ugly, disgusting greens drinks… I love them!