Day 3: CHARD

Let's just call it chard, whether Swiss, Ruby, Rhubarb, or Rainbow (pictured). It is a relative of the beet, and also a vegetable I never ate growing up. But after learning about this wonder-food I am making it a goal to eat chard every week!

On the recommendation of a dear friend, I prepared my chard by saute-ing chopped leaves and stalks in olive oil and sprinkling with balsamic vinegar before taking out of the pan. Check out these AMAZING stats.

HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU:

1 cup chard, cooked, has:
+ 4g dietary fiber and 3g protein
+ 214% daily vitamin A!!
+ 716% daily vitamin K!!! crazy!
+ about 1/3 of your daily need for iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese
+ small amount of omega-6 fatty acids, and decent amount of vits C and E

A and K are both fat-soluble vitamins (along with D and E)...this means that the body will store any excess amounts in fatty tissue of the liver. Vitamins B and C are excreted in urine when we don't need them, so there's not much danger in over-consumption of those. But there are definitely toxic side-effects from over-consumption of A,D,E, and K, which is why I would not recommend eating chard every day even with its superpower-status.

Interestingly, my celiac disease's damage to the small intestine occurs in one of the areas where fat-absorption takes place. Due to this, active celiac disease can prevent absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins, which is why when I was first diagnosed my doctors all recommended me taking extra supplements of these vitamins as well as calcium and iron. Vitamins are necessary for most mineral absorption, which explains why when I took gobs of iron supplements prior to my diagnosis I saw absolutely NO change in my anemia..it just wasn't gettin' through!

FUN FACTS:

+ chard has amazing anti-oxidant power which neutralizes free-radicals
+ it is shown to reduce arterial plaque and promote colon health
+ those with white stalks are the most tender (and edible)
+ "Swiss chard" was named by the French in order to distinguish it from spinach