The Beauty of Swiss Chard

The Beauty of Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard

Swiss chard comes from the Chenopodioideae family, which also includes beets and spinach. What makes the beauty of this leaf is the colorful stems it produces.

Just one cup of Swiss chard provides copper, iron, potassium, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, and magnesium. This wonderful plant contains many antioxidants and what makes that so important? I am glad you asked… To get a little sciencey here.. Free radicals are unstable molecules that roam our cells causing havoc and damage to our DNA. They are called free radicals because they lack a full balance of electrons, so they have to steal electrons from other molecules which damage those molecules in the process.

Antioxidants help to neutralize these pesky little free radicals by giving them some of their electrons. Think of it like a sacrifice for the greater good because it breaks this chain reaction. Free radicals cannot be avoided because the body creates them in response to exposures from our environment. This is why consuming antioxidants in our diet is such a wonderful thing to do. The more antioxidants we have in our bodies, the more free radicals can be neutralized.

Okay back to our Swiss chard… This gorgeous leaf has many antioxidants that contain anticancer properties, reduce blood pressure, reduce inflammation, and can block the formation of blood clots. Swiss chard is also very high in fiber. We need fiber to feed the good bacteria in our gut and to help stabilize blood sugar levels.

When it comes to blood sugar regulation (this one is huge for everyone) fiber helps reduce insulin resistance. If you don’t know what that is, it is when the cells stop responding to signals of creating more insulin so the bodies keeps producing it. This leads to weight gain, hormone dysfunction, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

How do you add it to your diet? The easiest way is to sauté it with a little olive oil, garlic, and some red pepper flakes. All you have to do is rinse the leaves and either tear or cut them away from the stalks. You can chop the stalks into smaller bite sized pieces and add them to the pan. Heat a pan with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flaxes add in the stalks if desired, and then the leaves. I personally love to add it to a chicken or beef stir fry with rice or cauliflower rice and other veggies. It is so tasty and adds such vibrant colors to a dish.