Leaves which pack a punch

As well as adding great taste and texture to a variety of dishes, leafy salads are packed full of a range of vitamins and minerals which are essential for health and vitality.

An 80g serving of salad leaves, which is about one cereal bowl full, counts as one of the five recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables. If you include a variety of different leaves you’ll maximise the nutritional benefits.

The nutrient content of salad leaves differs according to variety, but most provide vitamin C, beta carotene (which the body uses to make vitamin A), iron, calcium, folate, fibre and potassium. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and betacarotene are particularly useful in destroying free radicals – rogue cells which can cause an array of health problems from cancer to heart disease.

Cos, spinach and watercress have the highest amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A and contain high levels of folate which is needed for a healthy nervous system and cell growth. As well as being essential in pregnancy, high levels of folate have also recently been linked with a decrease in brain degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Potassium is also commonly found in salad leaves, especially cabbage, and studies have shown that potassium-rich diets have helped to reduce high blood pressure.

Salad leaves also contain bone-building calcium and iron, which keeps blood healthy and prevents anaemia.

What is more, being low in calories and high in fibre makes salad leaves an ideal choice if you’re watching your weight, providing they’re not mixed with high-fat dressings.