Swiss chard may not get the same attention as reliable spinach or trendy kale, but it deserves a spot in produce conversations. 

This colorful leafy green is packed with nutrients and offers a mild, slightly earthy flavor.

And because the leaves cook quickly and the stems add texture, it’s an easy, healthy vegetable to cook at home that works in everything from soups to salads and grain bowls and pasta dishes.

It’s also an affordable way to add more variety, often costing between $3 and $4.50.

A 2021 study in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition found Swiss chard may support health by providing fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidant plant compounds that can aid digestion, immune function and even heart health.

One serving of Swiss chard – typically 1 cup cooked – has just 35 calories, but packs 477 percent of your daily vitamin K needs, 22 percent of your daily iron needs and 35 percent of your daily vitamin C needs. 

Another win is that 1 cup of cooked Swiss chard provides about 4 grams of fiber, which can help manage diabetes, obesity and inflammation.

‘Swiss chard is a bit of an underdog in the produce aisle,’ Jessica Cording, a dietitian in New York and New Jersey, told Daily Mail.

Swiss chard is a leafy green is packed with nutrients and offers a mild, slightly earthy flavor.

‘It’s incredibly nutritious, but because people aren’t always as familiar with it as other leafy greens and aren’t sure how to cook it, they often pass it by. They often expect it to be bitter but it’s quite mild in flavor.’ 

She also offered a bonus method to reap the benefits of this leafy green. 

‘To improve iron absorption, you can pair Swiss chard with vitamin C-rich foods like citrus, strawberries, bell peppers or tomatoes,’ said Cording.

How to Prep Swiss Chard

Swiss chard stems are tougher and more fibrous, like celery, while the leaves are more tender and cook faster, said Whitney Linsenmeyer, a registered dietitian and an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University in Missouri. 

For most recipes, she recommends separating the stems from the leaves by holding the base of the stem in one hand and stripping the leaves off with the other. 

The stems are fully edible and can be diced before cooking, while the leaves can be chopped or torn into smaller pieces.

Cooking Tips for Beginners

To cook, Linsenmeyer, who is also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said to separate the stems and leaves, dice the stems and tear the leaves into 1-inch pieces. 

Next, sauté the stems in olive oil or butter until tender, about 5 minutes, and then add the leaves and a splash of liquid, such as vegetable or chicken stock or white wine. 

Finally, she suggests to season with salt, black pepper, and red chili flakes, then cook until the liquid mostly evaporates and the leaves are tender, about 10 minutes. 

One serving of Swiss chard – typically 1 cup cooked – has just 35 calories, but packs 477 percent of your daily vitamin K needs, 22 percent of your daily iron needs and 35 percent of your daily vitamin C needs

Swiss chard can easily be swapped for spinach or kale in recipes, Linsenmeyer said. 

‘Leafy green vegetables tend to have a slightly bitter taste but will be balanced during cooking and the addition of other flavorful ingredients,’ she explained.

In addition to serving as a sauteed side dish, Cording said to add Swiss chard to egg dishes like omelets and egg bites. 

Another idea: they are great blended into a smoothie.

The Bottom Line:

Adding more plant-based foods is a smart move and Swiss chard is a nutrient-rich leafy green that offers a mild flavor, plenty of versatility, and an easy way to add more variety to everyday meals. 

With tender leaves, edible stems, and simple cooking methods, it’s approachable even if you’ve never made it before. 

If you usually reach for spinach or kale, Swiss chard is a fresh alternative worth adding to your grocery list.

Janet was 44 when she came to see me, worn out by months of worsening tiredness, aching joints, low mood and a brain fog so bad it was affecting her at work. 

She was convinced she was perimenopausal. What else could it be?

But something was off. Her periods were still arriving like clockwork – not a day’s change to her cycle. She had also lost weight without trying. Neither of those things fits perimenopause.

So I ran some blood tests. These picked up abnormal markers in her immune system – something wasn’t right. And after I referred her to a specialist, Janet received a diagnosis she never expected: lupus.

It’s hardly surprising that Janet was taken aback by the diagnosis. After all, she, like so many others, had never heard of lupus.

But it’s a condition that affects a surprising number of women – and some are wrongly told their symptoms are due to the menopause, depriving them of crucial, life-improving treatment.

Lupus is an autoimmune condition. That means the body’s immune system, which is supposed to protect you from infection, mistakenly turns on healthy tissue instead – attacking joints, skin, kidneys, the heart, even the brain.

The cause of lupus is still unclear, but there is some evidence that it could be triggered by environmental factors such as infections, certain medicines, smoking and UV light exposure.

Lupus is an autoimmune condition, meaning the body’s immune system mistakenly turns on healthy tissue instead – attacking joints, skin, kidneys, the heart, even the brain

It is a serious condition that affects around 70,000 people in the UK – roughly one in 1,000 – but too often it goes unrecognised for years.

Research published last year by Swansea University found the average wait from first symptoms to diagnosis is seven and a half years. The researchers found that some patients wait up to 40 years.

One woman even described going to her GP with swollen legs and being told she had anxiety. Another spent 15 years being told she had stress, postnatal depression and menopause – before anyone thought to test for lupus.

This is not rare. Studies suggest up to two-thirds of patients receive at least one wrong diagnosis before the right one.

Part of the problem is that lupus and perimenopause look remarkably alike. Fatigue, joint pain, brain fog, mood changes, poor sleep – all are symptoms of both.

Lupus is even known as ‘the great imitator’ because it can so convincingly resemble other conditions. It is far more common in women than men – 90 per cent of diagnoses are amongst females.

It also typically strikes between the ages of 15 and 55 – meaning many women will develop it right at the point when perimenopause starts.

The result is that many GPs – understandably – reach for the most common explanation first.

Janet’s story is a reminder that perimenopause and menopause cannot – and should not – be the explanation for every health issue that affects women in their 40s and 50s, writes Dr Philippa Kaye

Perimenopause, the early stages of the menopause, is far more prevalent than lupus, and generally, GPs do not use blood tests to diagnose it – particularly if women are aged over 45.

Often, family doctors will then prescribe hormone replacement therapy, also known as HRT, a highly effective menopause medication that can ease symptoms.

In most cases, this is the correct approach. Lupus is, after all, relatively rare.

But it is important that GPs and patients alike know how to spot the difference between the two conditions.

For one thing, lupus isn’t treated with HRT, so symptoms may not improve with it. 

There are telltale signs of the disease to look out for, however. These include a rash across the cheeks and nose that gets worse in sunlight, mouth ulcers, and unexplained low-grade fevers.

Patients who experience these symptoms could ask their GP to be tested for lupus.

The reason that a diagnosis is so important is that there are effective treatments. Lupus cannot be cured but the symptoms can be eased.

Mild cases are often managed with anti-inflammatory drugs and hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial that damps down the immune system’s overactivity and has been used to treat lupus for decades.

More severe cases may need steroids, immunosuppressants, or newer targeted drugs. 

Janet was started on steroids and saw a marked improvement in her symptoms. Her joint pain eased and her brain fog lifted. She’s often still fatigued but she’s a world away from where she was when she first came to my surgery.

And the treatment picture for patients like Janet is improving.

Earlier this month, results from a major international trial published in The Lancet medical journal, showed that a new oral pill called enpatoran produced significant benefits in patients with moderate to severe lupus.

The news sparked excitement amongst doctors and lupus patients around the world.

The drug works by blocking the immune signals that drive lupus flares. More than half of patients on it responded to treatment, compared with around a third on a placebo. It is now moving into the final stage of clinical trials before it can be considered for approval.

None of this means that every woman in her 40s with tiredness and joint pain has lupus – most don’t.

But Janet’s story is a reminder that perimenopause and menopause cannot – and should not – be the explanation for every health issue that affects women in their 40s and 50s.

By ALEXA LARDIERI, US HEALTH EDITOR

Published: 16:33 BST, 23 June 2026 | Updated: 16:39 BST, 23 June 2026

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A recent recall of a medication taken by more than 1 million Americans has been upgraded to a class II over concerns the drug does not work properly. 

The recall of Chlorthalidone tablets was first issued June 5 and classed on June 22 due to ‘failed dissolution specifications.’

This means there is a problem with how the medication dissolves in the body, which could indicate the drug dissolves too slowly, too quickly or not fully. 

This could then mean the amount of active drug released into the body is either more or less within a certain timeframe. 

If a medication does not dissolve properly, it may not work as intended, which could pose serious risks to people taking it to control a medical condition. 

When a drug dissolves too slowly, the body may not absorb enough and symptoms may not be treated or controlled properly. 

If it dissolves too fast, there is the potential for side effects or safety issues. 

Chlorthalidone is a prescription drug used to treat high blood pressure and reduce excess fluid retention caused by heart, liver or kidney conditions. 

If a medication does not dissolve properly, it may not work as intended, which could pose serious risks to people taking it to control a medical condition

About 5 million prescriptions are written for about 1.5 million Americans per year.  

A class II recall indicates: ‘A situation in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote.’

The recall applies to 100- and 1,000-tablet bottles of 25 mg pills with the expiration date of April 2027. 

The medication is manufactured by Inventia Healthcare Limited and distributed by Rising Pharma Holdings, Inc. 

Approximately 11,460 bottles have been recalled. 

The 100-tablet bottles have the NDC 64980-599-01 and batch code RISA24001 and the 1,000-tablet bottles have the NDC 64980-599-10 and batch code ISB24002.

The FDA has not issued guidance on what people should do who take the medication but in similar previous recalls, it has been advised for patients to urgently contact their doctors. 

If someone is taking the drug for high blood pressure and it does not work properly, they could be at risk of uncontrolled hypertension. 

Untreated high blood pressure can cause serious complications, such as stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage and blood vessel damage.

If a person is taking it for fluid retention and their edema goes untreated, they could suffer worsening swelling in the legs, around the lungs and in their abdomen, shortness of breath and strain on their kidneys or heart. 

Patients are also at risk of side effects if the drug doesn’t work correctly, including electrolyte imbalances, low potassium, low sodium and low magnesium.

This may lead to muscle weakness, fatigue, cramping, irregular heartbeat, confusion, seizures, headaches, reduced kidney function, low blood pressure and high blood sugar.