Swiss Chard

A cup of cooked chard gives us almost 4 grams of fiber, more than 100 mg of calcium, 961 mg of potassium, and more than 30 mg of vitamin C. We also get 10,000 IUs of vitamin A, more than 6,000 of beta-carotene (plus some alpha-carotene), and 19,000 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin, two members of the carotenoid family that are getting significant research attention for their ability to protect the eyes and guard against vision problems like macular degeneration.

So, are you running to the closest vegetable stall?

1 cup provides the all those nutrients mentioned and has 35 calories.

Chard is a relative of beets and comes in red and white. Chard is very quick cooking-like spinach-so don't over cook it or you'll compromise its nutritional value. It's also perfectly fine raw.

Swiss chard-like spinach, beets, rhubarb, and some other foods-does contain oxalates, which are not a concern for most people, but may be for those who have one type of kidney stones. Calcium oxalate kidney stones can result from excessive oxalates being absorbed through the gut and then binding with calcium in the urine and precipitating out to form the stones.

The 150 healthiest foods on earth Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.