I wouldn't suggest removing any leaves except if they are diseased or rotting. Removal of healthy leaves will only delay maturity further and could lead to premature bolting.

Agreed. It's very common to harvest lettuce and spinach by picking individual leaves instead of the entire plant. At that time, you could discard the outermost leaves, which are often getting pretty battered by then anyway.

If you harvest the whole plant, the oldest leaves will likely look even more unappetizing.

Thanks slimy_okra and ltilton,
I'll just wait until they grow for awhile, then discard the oldest leaves and begin to eat the newer leaves.