If you’re as serious about health as you are about St. Patrick’s Day, going green is easy. It could even be your healthiest food day of the year. 

Why? Green vegetables are simple to prepare in many ways, sweet or savory. More important, they have a plethora of antioxidants and phytochemicals to improve health, from preventing heart disease, diabetes and cancer, to reducing inflammation and digestive issues.

Here are our “top five” tips:

1. Avoid fakes. Avoid green beer and fake frostings — although you can color beer with spirulina and frost the cupcakes with avocado buttercream.

2. Best choices. According to WebMD, the 10 top leafy greens (in order of nutritional value) are kale, collards, turnip greens, Swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli, red and green leaf and romaine lettuce, cabbage, and iceberg lettuce.

3. Kitchen-tested dishes. Check out these green recipes from the Community Health Education Center.

4. More green! Do an online search for healthy green recipes, and you’ll find recipes for dishes like these: Watercress soup with pickled cucumbers, avocado pasta, pasta with kale pesto, green tea ice cream, green tea lattes, creamy asparagus soup, banana avocado smoothie… and of course, how to use spirulina in beer. 

5. Remember mom’s advice. Eat your spinach! Especially on March 17.