Greens are an essential part of a healthy diet, as they are not only a source of vitamins and minerals, but also chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll cannot be extracted from vegetables or fruits, as it is contained only in the green part of plants that participate in photosynthesis. Also, plant leaves are a source of fiber - indigestible fibers responsible for healthy digestion.
Greens are most useful in their raw form. But even after heat treatment, they retain a large number of useful properties. Many forget that they can and should be added to various dishes, such as soups. This article provides 5 of the most useful green plants that will make soup as useful as possible.
5th place: spinach
Spinach is good because it does not have any taste. Therefore, it can be safely added to any dish without risking changing its taste. Tender spinach leaves should be thrown into the soup a couple of minutes before the end of cooking. It can also be finely chopped together with dill and parsley to season the soup with fresh herbs.
Spinach contains many antioxidants, has an antitumor effect, 100 g of the plant covers the daily requirement of an adult in vitamins K and A.
4th place: radish
How is radish usually used? The root is used in salads, and the leaves are thrown in the trash. And this is a huge mistake!
The leaves of this spring root vegetable are a valuable food product. In Asia, radishes are eaten whole, using young leaves in salads. They can also be added to soup. Radish goes well with cabbage, nettle, sorrel, and can be added to borscht or okroshka.
3rd place: celery
Stalk celery is a must-have ingredient for classic vegetable broth. But you can add not only stalk celery to soups, but also leaf celery, as well as young leaves of root celery. Celery will not only give the soup a stunning aroma, but will also bring considerable benefits to the body. This plant helps to restore the intestinal mucosa, normalizes digestion. It contains a huge amount of antioxidants, suppresses the development of tumors.
2nd place: nettle
Young nettles, collected in May, are the best ingredient for spring green soups. This unique plant can be considered the magic pill that can cure all diseases. Nettles have a rich chemical composition, thanks to which our ancestors restored the body exhausted over the winter in the spring.
Important: nettle thickens the blood, so it cannot be consumed on a regular basis.
1st place: goutweed
The same goutweed hated by most summer residents is the most valuable food product for humans, since its chemical composition is as close as possible to the chemical composition of human blood. And unlike nettle, this plant can be eaten on a regular basis. Young goutweed leaves cook very quickly, so they need to be thrown into the soup 5 minutes before the end of cooking. The petioles need 10-15 minutes to cook.
As you can see, sometimes unusual solutions are possible in cooking. Learn more about greens and their use in the kitchen to make your diet as healthy and varied as possible.
