GOT COLLARDS?
By Jenny Hammer
When most people think of collards, they think of
the traditional Southern style of cooking them--usually
slow-boiled for hours with a ham hock. While collards
are delicious in this way, they are good prepared in
other ways, as well. A plus is that shorter cooking times
retain more of the nutrients and health benefits of these
amazing greens.
And amazing they are. Collards, like others members
of the Brassica/ Cruciferous family (kale, bok choy,
cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli
raab, rutabaga, and turnips) are loaded with nutrients,
low in calories, and have been shown in numerous
studies to lower cancer risks. While kale is hailed the
superfood-de-jour in this regard (and rightly so), all
Cruciferous vegetables have great health value, and can
be cooked in a variety of delicious ways.
Collards are no exception. Their taste is not as sharp as
kale’s, and they don’t have the sulphur flavor of cabbage.
Like kale, though, collards are packed with vitamin K,
which is important for bone health. A low intake of this
vitamin can increase the risk of osteoporosis and bone
fractures. U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggest a daily intake
of 90-120 micrograms. A cup of cooked (boiled) collard
greens has 770 micrograms of vitamin K, more than
enough to help keep your bones healthy.
But there’s more. Decades of advertising by the dairy
industry have convinced many of us that cow’s milk
is the quintessential food source for calcium. We need
calcium because a deficiency in this important mineral
can lead to muscle cramps, lethargy, weak bones and
teeth, and abnormal heart rhythms--to mention just a
few possible results from “not enough.” Is it possible
for vegetables to supply us with enough daily calcium?
Collards sure can. One cup of them, cooked, contains
about 268 milligrams of calcium, or over 25% of the
recommended daily allowance (RDA). Compared to the
300 milligrams in a cup of cow’s milk, perhaps it’s time
to ask ourselves: “Got collards?”
Collards are very high in vitamin A and also contain
protein, folates, numerous antioxidants, iron, fiber, and
vitamin C.
According to nutritionists, adult women need 75
milligrams of vitamin C per day, and men need 90
milligrams. With a cup of collards providing nearly 35