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It belongs to a family of plants typical of coastal areas or temperate saline soils. Chard is a biennial plant with a long cycle that does not form edible roots or fruits, with the leaf being the edible part.

Chard, like other vegetables, has nutritional properties that benefit our bodies. Including them in cooking is a good choice for maintaining our health.

Chard: properties of the vegetable

Like other vegetables, chard stands out for its high water content and low levels of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Therefore, it is a low-energy vegetable. Chard, according to the functional classification of foods, would be in the group of regulatory foods, as it has significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. In this sense, its outer leaves are richer in vitamins.

Minerals: Chard stands out for its higher content of magnesium, sodium, iodine, iron, and calcium, with potassium being the mineral found in higher concentrations. Potassium is necessary for the generation and transmission of nerve impulses and normal muscle activity. It also plays a role in the body's water balance.

Magnesium is related to intestinal, nervous system, and motor function, is part of bones and teeth, improves immunity, and has a mild laxative effect. Iodine, on the other hand, is an essential mineral for the proper functioning of the thyroid glands, which produce thyroid hormones.

Vitamins: In terms of vitamin content, chard is high in vitamin A and folic acid. As mentioned earlier, the vitamins in chard are found in higher proportions in the plant's outer leaves. It also contains vitamins C, E, and K.

But in addition to all this, chard contains a significant amount of oxalic acid, an antinutritive substance that interferes with the absorption of certain nutrients like calcium. It is important to note that oxalic acid ceases to have a negative effect when exposed to high temperatures, as during cooking.