'Second healthiest vegetable' in the world is a nutritional powerhouse and 'affordable'

We're all aware that veggies can help boost our health and we should be incorporating as many different types into our meals as possible. In fact, gut health and nutrition expert Professor Tim Spector suggests we aim to consume at least 30 different plants a week - a goal that's not as daunting as it might initially seem.

Each vegetable brings its own unique blend of vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and other distinctive properties that can provide a multitude of health benefits. These range from enhancing gut health, reducing inflammation, aiding digestion, to even lowering the risk of chronic diseases and cancer.

However, some vegetables pack more nutritional punch than others, according to a list that could potentially transform your eating habits and consequently, your health.

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For instance, the list identifies the "world's healthiest snack" as a nutrient-rich option readily available in any supermarket, the "world's healthiest fruit" as a "real treat" brimming with vitamins and antioxidants, and perhaps most surprisingly, the "world's healthiest meat" which outshines some fruits and vegetables in terms of nutrition.

The BBC list also features three different species of fish among its top 10, reports Surrey Live.

The highest-ranking fish, coming in third overall, is the ocean perch, a deep-sea dweller also known as rockfish, lauded for its high protein content and low saturated fat levels. The second healthiest is flat fish.

Swiss chard has been crowned the king of vegetables, ranking seventh overall, but hot on its heels is an unlikely contender - beet greens. You've probably never tasted beet greens, either because you've discarded them while preparing beetroots or because they're already removed when you buy them from the supermarket.

However, according to a BBC list, these overlooked greens score a whopping 70 out of 100 for nutrition, being "high in calcium, iron, vitamin K and B group vitamins (especially riboflavin)".

Carleigh Bodrug, a best-selling food author who champions reducing food waste, recently shared on Zoe's podcast: "It's normalised to discard so much more of the plant that is actually edible... coffee grounds, radish tops, beet tops, broccoli stalks. There are so many amazing things that we could be integrating into our diet that are nutrient-dense, delicious and affordable, because you're buying them anyways, that we could be consuming that we're all discarding.

"Beets are a perfect example. Beet greens: so delicious, so nutrient dense and you're chopping them off... composting them or throwing them in the garbage and we're just using the beetroot. Meanwhile, the greens are just as great in a salad or for beet-green chips as something like kale. So there's really a lot of waste that is happening here that is completely unnecessary."

Zoe's US medical director, gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, explained: "Every single plant has a unique mix of nutrients that helps to nourish your body and your gut microbes. So when we talk about, for example, beets, you cut off the greens, you throw them in the trash. The nutrients that are in the greens, in the leaves, are different than the nutrients that are actually in the beat itself."

Why are beetroot leaves beneficial for you?

Food website Epicurious states: "Beet greens are some of the most nutrient-rich greens around, containing more antioxidants and other phytonutrients than the bulbous roots themselves."

They provide an outstanding source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, fibre, potassium, folate and magnesium.