Spring Superfoods That Won't Break the Bank

This edible thistle is an excellent source of dietary fiber, as well as Vitamin C, Vitamin K (the so-called “blood-clotting vitamin” and an important factor in bone health), folate (a form of Vitamin B9, important for cell growth and to prevent some birth defects), and manganese (considered an essential nutrient, with many uses).

Notorious for the strong odor it imparts to the urine of those who eat it (or at least some of those — there are some 871 genetic alterations that blunt the effect for many others), this edible member of the lily family is considered one of the most nutritionally balanced of all vegetables. A five-ounce portion provides 60% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for folic acid (a synthetic form of folate), along with plenty of potassium — an important electrolyte that aids the proper functioning of the heat, kidneys, muscles, and nerves — and other minerals and vitamins.

One of everybody’s favorite “superfoods,” since they’re widely available, easy to eat, and tasty, blueberries have more antioxidants — compounds that can help protect the body from free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can cause cell damage — than almost any other common fruit or vegetable. They contain elements that may also help lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease and diabetes, and improve memory and brain function.

Somebody once said “A weed is a plant that nobody has found a use for yet.” Spiky-leaved, with yellow flowers and furry-looking seed heads, dandelions grow wild on roadsides (among other places) all over America — but they’re one weed people have found a use for — eating — for centuries. Cooked as greens, added to soups, or tossed in salads, dandelions provide bitterish flavor and a whole host of apparent health benefits. Containing a veritable cocktail of vitamins and minerals — principally Vitamins A, C, and K, plus iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium — they’re a diuretic (the French call them “pissenlit,” literally pee in bed) and a laxative, and have traditionally been used to treat everything from upset stomach to joint and muscle aches to eczema.

Green onions (or scallions) are rarely eaten as a vegetable on their own — though in Mexico, they’re sometimes grilled as an accompaniment to steak or fajitas — but adding plenty of them to salads, soups, stews, and other dishes will provide a healthy dose of dietary fiber and Vitamins A, C, and K, as well as some thiamin (Vitamin B1 — essential for a healthy metabolism and cell growth and function), folate, magnesium, and other minerals.

A cup of cooked fresh leeks provides almost a third of the RDA for Vitamin K (for blood and bone health). They also contain folate and flavonoids (especially kaempferol, which studies show might help regulate cancer cells), as well as other compounds good for cardiovascular health.

These spicy little red- or pink-and-white root vegetables — popular in salads, and a good snack for the health-conscious — are one of the first spring crops to come up. They’re a good source of fiber, Vitamin C, folate, and potassium, as well as riboflavin (or Vitamin B2, important for energy production, cell growth, and the metabolism of fats and drugs) and other vitamins and minerals.

These sour stalks, which look like overgrown red celery, are a vegetable usually treated as a fruit — typically sweetened and baked into pies (often in combination with strawberries) or other desserts. Its nutritional value is primarily as fiber, though a 3.5-ounce serving offers roughly a third of the RDA for Vitamin K. It also contains proanthocyanidins, the same antioxidants that may provide some of the supposed health benefits of red wine and cocoa.

Snow peas, like their close cousin sugar snap peas, are substantially lower in starch (and thus carbs) than regular English or garden peas. They’re very high in Vitamin C — a 3.5-ounce serving provides 100% of the RDA — and have plenty of Vitamins A and Ks well. They contain other antioxidants and are rich in fiber (because you eat the hulls as well as the peas themselves), which promotes dietary health and may be beneficial for blood sugar control and weight loss.

The first nutrient in spinach that anyone familiar with the cartoon character Popeye will name is iron — but in fact its reputation as a high-iron food may stem from a decimal error made by a German scientist back in 1870, and in any case the iron spinach does contain is not well-absorbed. The good news is that it contains plenty of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin A. Among its possible (though not proven) health benefits are diabetes control, asthma prevention, bone health, and digestive regularity.

Various studies have suggested that these sweet spring and summer berries may slow cognitive decline in the elderly, help bring symptomatic relief to sufferers from ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. They’re high in fiber, Vitamin C, and manganese, and are one of the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity.

Often relegated to the role of garnish, this peppery, leafy green — related to kale — is delicious in salads, soups, and sandwiches. It is a nutritional powerhouse, with more than the RDA for Vitamin K in a one-cup serving, along with plenty of Vitamins A and C, some calcium and manganese, and more than 40 unique flavonoids — a kind of antioxidant. Compounds it contains may help fight certain types of cancer, lower cholesterol, boost immune function, improve eye health, and protect against osteoporosis, and improve heart health. Read about 28 dangerous things experts link to heart disease.