10 Amazing Benefits Of Collard Greens For Skin Hair And Health

Collard green is a green vegetable belonging to the Acephala group which also contains green vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. It is usually found in Portugal, Brazil and parts of the United States. In India, it is found mostly in Kashmir and most of the dishes cooked in Kashmiri houses contain collard greens. It is grown for its huge, dark-colored, edible green leaves. This plant is known as ‘couve’ in Brazil and Portugal.

The taste of the leaves of this plant is slightly bitter. These leaves are available throughout the year but they taste better, especially during the winter months. To obtain the best texture from these leaves, they need to be plucked before they reach their optimum height and should be cooked in a different way than the newer ones.

Collard greens are considered to be one of the most nutritional foods that consist of various vitamins such as Vitamin C, A, E, K and different types of Vitamin B. It also consists of soluble fibers, carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fibers and a lot of minerals such as Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Phosphorus, Potassium and Sodium.

Health Benefits of Collard Greens

Unlike cabbage and broccoli, scientists have not made much effort to research on the health benefits of collard greens. Since it is a nutritional vegetable, it has a lot of health benefits.

1. Removes Toxins from the Body

Consumption of collard greens helps in flushing out the toxic substances from the body.

2. Maintains Blood Pressure Levels

It helps in lowering cholesterol levels in the blood. It maintains the blood pressure level of the body.

[ Read: Home Remedies for High Blood Pressure ]

3. Other Health Benefits

It protects the body against arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cataracts and muscular degeneration. Collard greens help in retaining our memory.

4. Blood Clotting

It helps in the process of blood clotting.

Skin Benefits of Collard Greens

5. Beautiful & Glowing Skin

Collard greens also help in maintaining beautiful and glowing skin.

6. Slows Ageing Process

Consumption of these leaves prevents cell damage, thus slowing down the aging process.

[ Read: Nutritious Foods To Fight Aging ]

7. Supple & Youthful Skin

If you eat collard green leaves, you will have supple and younger-looking skin.

8. Moisturizes Skin

It also keeps the skin well-hydrated, thus keeping it moisturized.

Benefits of Collard Greens for Hair

9. Gives Lustrous Hair

Consuming collard greens provides luster to the hair, making it look even better.

10. Adds Volume & Softness

It helps in retaining moisture, thus keeping your hair beautiful, voluminous, silky and smooth. Due to its nutritional value, it helps in preventing dandruff on the scalp as well.

[ Read: Vegetables For Hair Growth ]

2 Ways Of Cooking Collard Greens

There are different ways of cooking collard greens. You could fry it, eat it blanched, sautéed, vegetarian southern style and more.

Preparing Collard Greens:

1. Remove the stems from the bunch of leaves.
2. Soak the leaves in warm water and add a little bit of salt to it. Then scrub away the dirt and impurities from the leaves using your hands.
3. Using a sharp knife cut out the spine from each leaf and lay the leaves flat.
4. Now roll the stack of leaves lengthwise and cut into ribbons.

Sauteed:

1. Heat about one tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan.
2. Add two tablespoons of minced garlic and stir it with a spatula for about 20 seconds.
3. Add the striped collard greens on the frying pan and mix it properly with the oil.
4. Sprinkle some amount of red pepper and salt, and mix thoroughly.
5. Cook over medium flame and stop once the leaves have wilted.
6. Now add one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and serve hot!

Now that you know the benefits of collard greens and also a few methods of transforming them into delicious meals, remember to add some of them to your daily diet. This will not only keep you beautiful and young, but will also prevent you from taking unnecessary pills.

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