Benefits of Eating Swiss Chard

One of the distinctive features of Swiss chard or silverbeet is the color of the stalks which are red, white or yellow. It is also available in other colors such as orange, green, pink and violet. This is one of the reasons why it is also called "bright lights." Of all these, the red chard has the most distinct flavor.

The young and tender dark green ruffled leaves are best eaten raw. You can combine with other vegetables, fruits and fresh herbs to make a chard salad. Or you can steam, stir fry or roast the larger leaves with the stems. But they should be cooked separately because the stalks are tougher.

Let's take a look at Swiss chard nutrition and find out why eating silverbeet is good for your health. The data is based on a 100g of raw chard.

Nutrients	Units
Water	92.66g
Energy	19 kcal
Protein	1.80g
Total lipid (fat)	0.20g
Carbohydrate	3.74g
Dietary Fiber	1.6g
Sugars	1.10g
Calcium	51mg
Iron	1.80mg
Magnesium	81mg
Phosphorus	46mg
Potassium	379mg
Sodium	213mg
Zinc	00.36mg
Copper	0.179mg
Manganese	0.366mg
Selenium	0.9mcg
Vitamin C	30.0mg
Thiamine	0.040mg
Riboflavin	0.090mg
Niacin	0.400mg
Pantothenic acid	0.172mg
Vitamin B6	0.099mg
Folate	14mcg
Choline	18.0mg
Betaine	0.3mg
Beta Carotene	3647mcg
Alpha Carotene	45mcg
Vitamin A	6116IU
Vitamin E	1.89mg
Lutein + zeaxanthin	11000mg
Vitamin K	830.0mcg

Swiss chard contains a high amount of sodium. Your body needs the right amount of sodium to maintain fluid balance, transmit nerve impulses and support muscle contraction. When you cook chard, avoid adding table salt. A teaspoon of table salt has 2325mg of sodium.

The dietary guidelines state that a person's daily sodium intake should be less than 2300mg a day for adults who are below 51 years old. People who are above 51 and those who suffer from high blood pressure should only consume 1500mg of sodium per day. If you add salt to all your dishes and also eat processed and prepared food daily, you are taking too much of it.

Unless you are taking blood thinning medication, eating chard is good for you because it is rich in vitamin K. Your body needs vitamin K to assist in preventing excessive bleeding and to help the blood to clot as well as prevent bone loss. Crohn's disease and drinking too much alcohol deplete vitamin K from your body and eating chard helps supplement the deficiency.

The RDA for vitamin K is 90mcg for adult women and 120mcg for adult male. If you eat a 100g of raw chard, your body would be getting too much of it. But according to Linus Pauling Institute, there is no known toxicity associated with high doses of vitamin K though allergic reaction is possible.

A 100g of raw chard contains many times more lutein and zeaxanthin compared to the same amount of carrots but a little less compared to spinach. These two antioxidants help in preventing age related macular degeneration which affect older adults resulting in night blindness and vision loss.

Eating Swiss chard regularly is good for your cardiovascular health especially if you smoke, are overweighed and live a stressful lifestyle. It helps strengthen your immune system to fight infections and prevent free radicals from damaging cells. It helps in preventing major illness such as cancer and also premature aging.

This is because besides lutein and zeaxanthin, chard is rich in antioxidants namely alpha carotene, beta carotene, vitamin A and vitamin C. Vitamin E, selenium and zinc also have antioxidant properties.

If you have heard and are concerned about the amount of oxalic acid in chard and its interference in the absorption of calcium which can lead to the formation of kidney stones, cook the chard instead of eating it raw to break down the acid. Another option is to eat more foods high in calcium or take calcium supplement.

If you experience PMS, eat or drink fresh chard. You'll get thiamine or vitamin B1, riboflavin or vitamin B2, vitamin B6 or pyridoxine and calcium. These three vitamins and calcium have shown to reduce PMS symptoms. Vitamin B6 assist in producing serotonin, dopamine and melatonin and vitamin B2 activates B6 to generate them. Serotonin and vitamin B1 help in improving mood and reducing anxiety, depression and headaches.

Of course you can get these vitamins from other foods such as breakfast cereal, cheese, milk, soy beverages and yogurt. But if you want to go on a raw food diet, Swiss chard and spinach are good choices.

Eating chard is good for your digestive tract and it speeds up digestion because of the fiber content. It should be one of the vegetables to include in your diet if you plan to lose weight and maintain it. Combined with protein, chard helps stabilize blood sugar levels.

Another benefit of eating chard is it may protect your liver from fatty deposits due to the presence of betaine. The deposits can happen if you are a heavy alcohol drinker, are obese or have diabetes.

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