Hey Healthy! Say a big HELLO to our medley of Five Nutritious, Pesticide Free and Tasty Baby Greens! This Fantastic Five Mix of VVegies is bound to put a pep in your step!
Meet the stars of the show:
Baby Green, White & Red Pak Choi
Pak Choi, a cruciferous green vegetable, is a member of the Brassica family. It’s also called Bok Choy or Chinese cabbage. It is a non-heading cabbage that has thick crunchy stems and broad green leaves when fully grown. Pak Choi is native to China, where it has been eaten for more than 1,500 years. Although the traditional methods of cooking mature Pak Choi would be in a stir-fry or in a soup, Pak Choi is perhaps at its most delicious when left raw! That is because this tasty veggie offers two contrasting textures: tender, lettuce-like leaves and crisp, crunchy stalks! The flavor is somewhere between mild cabbage and spinach and it is light and refreshing on the palate.
Along with being so delicious, Pak Choi is also full of fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that make it a superstar addition to any diet. Like other dark, leafy greens, it is full of antioxidants and other compounds that help to promote better health!
You can find the fabulous trio consisting of Baby Green Pak Choi, Baby White Pak Choi and Baby Red Pak Choi in the Fantastic Five Mix Salad!
Arugula
Arugula leaves, also known as rocket or roquette, is a popular salad leaf native to the Mediterranean. Grown and used since ancient Roman times, Arugula was first used as a medicinal herb and aphrodisiac. Arugula is a member of the mustard family, which also includes watercress, radish and wasabi, and like its cousins, this veggie bites back. Best known for its spicy, peppery kick, Arugula turns up the heat in this Fantastic Five Mix. It is also great in sandwiches, pastas and soups. It also has a slightly bitter flavor, with a fresh, herbal quality and its texture is similar to spinach, with tender leaves and a crisp stem.
Like most leafy greens, Arugula is very nutrient dense, meaning that it packs a high number of nutrients into very few calories. One cup (5g) of Arugula contains just 5 calories, and is full of vitamins and minerals, all of which play important roles in keeping your body healthy.
The same serving size provides an impressive 27.7% of your daily value for vitamin K, which helps with blood coagulation and healing wounds.
Arugula provides a good source of vitamins A and C, both of which are powerful antioxidants and help to maintain a healthy immune system. Vitamin A is also responsible for cell growth, healthy vision, and helping to maintain kidney, lung, and heart function.
Arugula is rich in potassium, which is vital for heart and nerve function, as well as helping your muscles to contract normally. It also contains calcium, which helps maintain healthy teeth, bones, muscles and nerves, and folate which helps your body produce DNA and other genetic material.
Mizuna
Mizuna is a leafy green vegetable that’s native to Japan. It’s also referred to as Japanese mustard greens, spider mustard, or konya. It has been cultivated in Japan for at least 200 - 300 years! It is part of the Brassica genus and is related to other cruciferous vegetables including Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale and Brussel Sprouts. It has dark green, serrated leaves with thin stems and a peppery, slightly bitter flavor. Mizuna's taste is peppery, similar to Arugula but also slightly bitter like Frisee, yet it's milder and sweeter than either of the more commonly found salad greens.
Mizuna is full of vitamins, such as A, C, and K, along with beta carotene. Vitamin K is especially helpful in improving bone health and blood clotting. It also contains antioxidants, especially kaempferol, which helps with chronic inflammation, protecting healthy cells, and may help reduce the spread of cancers. These antioxidants also helps support a healthy immune system. Mizuna also improves eye health through its supply of vitamin A and lutein.
