--- title: Food and Diet: 10 Vegetables Healthier Than Kale description: These green leafy cousins of kale are packed with great amount of nutrients canonical: https://time.com/3914619/superfoods-healthier-kale/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-11T16:30:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T08:03:12.469Z article:section: Health og:title: 10 Greens That Are Healthier Than Kale og:description: These green leafy cousins of kale are packed with great amount of nutrients og:url: https://time.com/3914619/superfoods-healthier-kale/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd28717b9986fc361/698853b4e53aba6d094de16c/500097515-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: watercress-bowl-table og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 10 Greens That Are Healthier Than Kale twitter:description: These green leafy cousins of kale are packed with great amount of nutrients twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd28717b9986fc361/698853b4e53aba6d094de16c/500097515-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 10 Greens That Are Healthier Than Kale by [Eat This, Not That!](/author/eat-this-not-that/) ## Eat This, Not That! Jun 11, 2015 4:30 PM CUT  Common watercress in bowl Common watercress in bowlGetty Images by [Eat This, Not That!](/author/eat-this-not-that/) ## Eat This, Not That! Jun 11, 2015 4:30 PM CUT In the world of marketing, image is everything. If you’re James Franco or Roger Federer or Taylor Swift, your name and face can be used to sell anything from phones to watches to perfume—even if you’re not necessarily famous for the your tech-savvy, your promptness, or the way you smell. In the food world, the biggest celebrity of all might be kale—the Shakira of salads, the Lady Gaga of leafy greens. It’s universally recognized that kale anything—kale chips, kale pesto, kale face cream—instantly implants a health halo not seen since the days of C. Everett Koop. Even 7-Eleven is making over its image by offering kale smoothies to help with your [weight loss](http://www.eatthis.com/weight-loss "undefined") efforts. And yes, kale has plenty of benefits—including high levels of folate and more calcium, gram for gram, than a cup of milk. But kale’s actually not the healthiest green on the block. In fact, in a recent [report](http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2014/13%5F0390.htm "undefined") published by the Centers for Disease Control that ranked 47 “powerhouse fruits and vegetables,” kale only placed 15th (with 49.07 points out of 100 for nutrient density)! Here’s a roundup of the 10 leafy green cousins that researchers say pack a greater nutritional wallop, from Eat This, Not That!. Read em, eat em, and reap the benefits. **10\. Collard Greens** _Nutrition Score: 62.49_ A staple vegetable of Southern U.S. cuisine, collard greens also boast incredible cholesterol-lowering benefits — especially when steamed. A recent [study](http://www.nrjournal.com/article/S0271-5317%2808%2900064-X/abstract "undefined") published in the journal _Nutrition Research_ compared the effectiveness of the prescription drug Cholestyramine to steamed collards. Incredibly, the collards improved the body’s cholesterol-blocking process by 13 percent more than the drug! Of course, that won’t do you any good if you insist on serving them with ham hocks. **9\. Romaine Lettuce** _Nutrition Score: 63.48_ Even more so than its cousin kale, the humble Romaine lettuce packs high levels of folic acid, a water-soluble form of Vitamin B that’s proven to boost male fertility. A [study](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11872201 "undefined") published in the journal _Fertility and Sterility_ found supplemental folic acid to significantly increase sperm counts. Get the man in your life to start craving Caesar salads, and you may soon have a baby Julius on board. (Ladies, this green packs health benefits for you, too! Folate also plays a role in battling depression, so change out your kale for Romaine. **8\. Parsley** _Nutrition Score: 65.59_ Yes, that leafy garnish that sits on the side of your plate—the one they throw away after you eat the rest of your meal—is a quiet superfood, so packed with nutrients that even that one sprig can go a long way toward meeting your daily requirement for vitamin K. Moreover, research suggests the summer-y aroma and flavor of chopped parsley may help control your appetite. A [study](http://www.flavourjournal.com/content/1/1/3 "undefined") in the journal _Flavour_ found participants ate significantly less of a dish that smelled strongly of spice than a mildly scented version of the same food. Adding herbs, like parsley, creates the sensory illusion that you’re indulging in something rich—without adding any fat or calories to your plate. **7\. Leaf Lettuce** _Nutrition Score: 70.73_ The nutritional Clark Kent of the salad bar, this common and unsuspecting leafy green is ready to take its place among the superfoods. Two generous cups of lettuce provides 100 percent of your daily vitamin K requirement for strong, healthy bones. A [report](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9925126?dopt=Citation "undefined") from the Nurses’ Health Study suggests that women who eat a serving of lettuce every day cut the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent than when compared with eating just one serving a week. **6\. Chicory** _Nutrition Score: 73.36_ Chicory is a family of bitter greens, but its most well-known member is radicchio, the small red or purple leaf that comes in a head about the size of a softball. It’s one of the best dietary sources of polyphenols—powerful micronutrients that serve a role in preventing disease. A study in the _Journal of Nutrition_ found that people who consume 650 mg a day of polyphenols have a 30 percent chance at living longer than those who consume less than that. A cup of chicory leaves clocks in at about 235 mg (double that of spinach!), so consider adding a little leafy red into your leafy greens. **5\. Spinach** _Nutrition Score: 86.43_ Spinach is to kale what Michael Jordan is to LeBron James—the once unrivaled king now overshadowed by the hot new thing. But like MJ, spinach has a few more championship rings than its more current rival—primarily its position as a top source of biceps-building iron. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 180 gram serving of boiled spinach provides 6.43 mg of the muscle mineral—that’s more than a 6 oz hamburger patty! Recent [research](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195666314003493 "undefined") also suggest compounds in the leaf membranes called thylakoids may serve as a powerful appetite suppressant. A recently published long-term study at Lund University in Sweden found that having a drink containing thylakoids before breakfast could significantly reduce cravings and promote weight loss. On average, the women who took the spinach extract lost 5.5 pounds more than the placebo group over the course of three months. **4\. Beet Greens** _Nutrition Score: 87.08_ Yes, the stuff they cut off and throw in the garbage before charging you an arm and a leg for “beet salad.” A scant cup of the bitter green serves up nearly 5 grams of fiber—that’s more than you’ll find in a [bowl of Quaker oats](http://www.quakeroats.com/products/hot-cereals/instant-oatmeal/original.aspx "undefined")! Researchers at the University of Leeds[ found](http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f6879 "undefined") that risk of cardiovascular disease was significantly lower for every 7 grams of fiber consumed. Try them in stir frys and eat to your heart’s content! **3\. Chard** _Nutrition Score: 89.27_ _Chard_. Sounds like “burnt.” It’s not as fun a name to drop as, say, “broccolini,” but it might be your best defense against diabetes. Recent [research](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814603002942 "undefined") has shown that these powerhouse leaves contain at least 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, including anthocyanins–anti-inflammatory compounds that could offer protection from type 2 diabetes. [Researchers](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24336456 "undefined") from the University of East Anglia analyzed questionnaires and blood samples of about 2,000 people and found that those with the highest dietary intakes of anthocyanins had lower insulin resistance and better blood glucose regulation. **2\. Chinese Cabbage** _Nutrition Score: 91.99_ Taking the silver medal in the powerfood Olympics is Chinese cabbage, also called Napa or celery cabbage. Rich sources of highly-available calcium and iron, cruciferous vegetables like the cabbage have the powerful ability to “turn off” inflammation markers thought to promote heart disease. In a [study](http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672%2813%2901891-1/abstract "undefined") of more than 1,000 Chinese women, published in the _Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics_, those who ate the most cruciferous vegetables (about 1.5 cups per day) had 13 percent less inflammation than those who ate the least. **1\. Watercress** _Nutrition Score: 100_ The top dog, the unrivaled champion, the chairman of the cutting board, watercress may also be the closest thing yet to a true anti-aging food. Gram for gram this mild-tasting and flowery-looking green contains four times more beta carotene than an apple, and a whopping 238 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin K per 100 grams—two compounds that keep skin dewy and youthful. The beauty food is also the richest dietary source of PEITC (phenylethyl isothiocyanate), which [research](http://watercress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/The-University-of-Southampton-Research.pdf "undefined") suggests can fight cancer. Results from an eight-week [trial](http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/85/2/504.abstract "undefined") published in the _American Journal of Clinical Nutrition_ suggest daily supplementation of 85 grams of raw watercress (that’s about two cups) could reduce DMA damage linked to cancer by 17 percent. Exposure to heat [may inactivate PEITC](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9865427?dopt=Abstract "undefined"), so it’s best to enjoy watercress raw in salads, cold-pressed juices, and sandwiches. _This_ [_article_](http://www.eatthis.com/10-superfoods-healthier-than-kale "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Eat This, Not That!_](http://www.eatthis.com "undefined") _More from Eat This, Not That!:_ * [4 Teas That Melt Fat](http://www.eatthis.com/4-teas-melt-fat "undefined") * [14 Ways to Lose Your Belly in 14 Days](http://www.eatthis.com/14-ways-lose-your-belly-14-days "undefined") * [How Tilapia is Worse Than Bacon](http://www.eatthis.com/tilapia-is-worse-than-bacon "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3914619/superfoods-healthier-kale/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3914619/superfoods-healthier-kale/"},"headline":"10 Greens That Are Healthier Than Kale","datePublished":"2015-06-11T16:30:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T08:03:12.469Z","description":"These green leafy cousins of kale are packed with great amount of nutrients","url":"https://time.com/3914619/superfoods-healthier-kale/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","diet","Food","Vegetables","eating","green","recipe","kale","vegetable"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd28717b9986fc361/698853b4e53aba6d094de16c/500097515-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eat This, Not That!","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eat-this-not-that/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd28717b9986fc361/698853b4e53aba6d094de16c/500097515-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"watercress-bowl-table","caption":"watercress-bowl-table","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3914619/superfoods-healthier-kale/","name":"10 Greens That Are Healthier Than Kale"}}]}] ```