Swiss Chard: Preparing & Cooking Swiss Chard & Its Health Benefits

What is Swiss Chard?

If you’re looking for a vegetable that’s extraordinarily nutrient-rich and also tasty to please your palette, you’ll want to give Swiss Chard a try. Although not as common or popular as mustard, collard, kale or some of the other more widely-known green vegetables, Swiss Chard falls within the “greens” family. It is most similar to spinach, with its slightly salty flavor, and beet greens because of its bitter taste.

Swiss Chard has edible stalks that are thick and crunchy, somewhat like that of collard greens. Its white, red or yellow stalks come in various textures, with white being most tender. The stalks have green fan-shaped leaves that are flat, as often seen with collard greens, or curly as with some mustard greens. Swiss Chard, included in a soup or salad, as side dish, is sure to compliment any meal.

Preparing and Cooking Swiss Chard

To prepare Swiss Chard, wash it to remove any sand, dirt, soil, or even bugs! This can be done in a sink or bowl of cold water and by swishing the leaves around to release any undesired particles. Be sure to rinse with cool water. Next, cut the ends of the stalks.

It is recommended that Swiss Chard not be cooked in aluminum pots due to discoloration occurring in the pot. Begin cooking the stalks earlier since they tend to take longer. A key to cooking flavorful Swiss Chard is to use the right mix and blend of herbs and spices and not overcook it. How long it needs to cook may depend on how much is being cooked.

These are several methods for cooking Swiss Chard:

Boiling – As common with other vegetables, boiling Swiss Chard results in loss of many of the nutrients. Only boil for a few minutes, depending on the amount being cooked. The better its cut up, the better it boils.

Pan-fry – This is an uncommon method. Nutritional experts advise against pan-frying Swiss Chard because of the significant loss of nutrients. Light pan-frying for only 3 – 5 minutes on medium heat helps to preserve the nutritional value.

Roast – This is a fairly common method that delivers lots of flavor but loses a lot of nutrients.

Steam – As with many vegetables, steaming tends to be the most highly recommended method for cooking Swiss Chard. The vegetable tends to be less flavorful but preserves most of the nutrients when compared with the other cooking methods.

Stew –In terms of nutritional value, stewing is the mid-point between fried and steamed. It’s not healthiest method but can preserve nutrients.

Stir-fry – This method does not come highly recommended by food and cooking experts. It’s not the healthiest method but can preserve most of its nutrients by cooking for a short amount of time. Stir-frying for only a few minutes produces very tasty Swiss Chard.

Nutritional Value of Swiss Chard Makes it Worth Including in Your Diet

High nutritional value is a quality that Swiss Chard surely possesses. In addition to Swiss Chard being full of nutrients including vitamins A, K, C, E, fiber, magnesium, potassium, iron, and others, it is incredibly low in calories, with only 35 calories per cup. Studies have shown that among this vegetable’s greatest affects is its effectiveness in combating cancers of the digestive system.

Swiss Chard provides more than three times the recommended daily amount of Vitamin K, which makes for healthy bones. Its Vitamin A helps to improve your vision and strengthen your heart. Magnesium acts to control the entry of calcium into your nerve cells, thus keeping your nerves relaxed. It also helps to minimize chances of high blood pressure, migraine headaches, muscle spasms and cramps as well as fatigue. While Swiss Chard is highly nutritional and offers many health benefits, you should consult with your physician prior to consuming while taking medications like Coumadin.

With so many nutritional and health benefits to offer, it’s apparent that Swiss Chard is a vegetable that is more than worth including in your diet.

Tips on Buying and Storing Swiss Chard

To help ensure that it maintains its crunchiness and flavorful taste, Swiss Chard is best purchased when in season and kept in a chilled environment. The leaves should be of solid green color with no yellow or brown and have no wilts or holes. Many food markets and grocery stores keep such vegetables in the refrigerated area and often with an automatic misting system to keep them fresh and cool. Swiss Chard may not be as readily available as spinach or some of the other green vegetables in the typical grocery store. Alternatives would be stores such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Farmer Markets or Organic Farms.

Swiss Chard is best stored unwashed, in a plastic bag and in a refrigerator. It will maintain its freshness for several days. It can also be chopped, placed in a plastic bag and stored in a freezer for future cooking and enjoyment.

References:

https://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=16