Strenthen Your Bones with Swiss Chard

Sometimes called "Perpetual Spinach," Swiss Chard is a highly nutritious leafy green food that tastes milder than kale but meatier than spinach.  It is beneficial when steamed since this brings out the nutrients and makes them up to 40% more bioavailable to your body!

Due to the milder flavor, swiss chard is extremely versatile to work with in the kitchen.  It is delicious when baked with olive oil and parmesan, added to pinto beans and spices in a slow cooker as part of a vegetarian burrito, and even made into a pesto!  (All these courtesy of Kalyn's Kitchen, thank you!)

Health Benefits of Swiss Chard

Swiss chard is know to protect against lung cancer and keeps your bones strong.  It is loaded with B vitamins, as well as vitamins A, C and K, high in fiber and loaded with minerals such as potassium and iron.

Foods high in fiber have been shown to protect against digestive tract cancers and for those with diabetes, protects the kidneys. It is high in many vitamins and minerals including Vitamins A, C, K, B1, B2, B6, E, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, protein, copper, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.

It is very high in Vitamin K. In fact, 1 cup of cooked Swiss chard contains 306.3% of the daily value. It ensures that calcium molecules stay in the bone and keeps your bones strong. This is even more powerful since it is coupled with the fact that it is also an excellent source of magnesium that helps regulate the balancing action of calcium.

Swiss chard is also important in lung health and is high in antioxidants. These are important to protect your lungs against cancers. In fact, your whole body will benefit from the active antioxidants found in just one cup of Swiss chard.