Think Green for March Health Madness
What food is sadly lacking from the diet of most people around the world? Greens! St. Patty's Day or getting ready for spring, green is the color. Green beer, just one or two, but the rest of the month look for green foods daily to improve liver function which improves you skin's clarity and over all appearance.
Greens are packed with nutrients, especially vitamin C, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, zinc, folate, lutein, beta carotene, chlorophyll and protein. Yes, protein. Greens contain a large percentage of calories as protein.
For example, broccoli is over 50% protein. Kale is 17% protein. One bunch of kale supplies above the recommended daily allowance for many of the essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and close to the RDA for many others -- all in roughly 225 calories.
Try pampering yourself with a fantastically colorful salad, a roasted pan of green vegetables like mustard greens or collard greens, or a beautify and nutritious green smoothie.
The possibilities are endless, although it may seem like you’re relegated to choosing between broccoli or a Caesar salad, both are great but there is more.
Get creative. Get loving. The act of cooking for yourself is itself a declaration of your own value - treat your body kindly. Liver gets active in the spring to cleans the blood and the color to cleanse the liver is green.
Greens provide essential alkaline minerals such as calcium and magnesium that are not found in sufficient quantities in fruits, nuts and seeds. When animals are fed a low calcium diet that is high in phosphorus, they develop bone disorders and dental problems.
To provide enough minerals in the diet, we need a sufficient quantity and variety of green vegetables. We also need to eat greens in such a way that the body can easily assimilate the nutrients.
Most people don’t eat a great variety of greens, and sadly, when it comes to the most important greens, they don’t eat hardly any of those at all. The most important greens are the ones that contain the most minerals such as kale, broccoli, mustard greens, and collards.
These greens are not eaten raw very often because their tough, fibrous nature make them tough to chew, the valuable nutrients aren’t always released from the cell walls from chewing alone. These vegetables are best cooked.
For optimal health, you need to include green vegetables daily, in a form that is easy for the body to assimilate. While salads are great, and should be eaten regularly, it’s often the case that they are not providing all of the nutrition necessary for optimal health because they are not chewed well enough to release all the nutrients from the cell walls.
Sauteing, steaming and boiling dark greens and adding our favorite dressing is a place to start. Green drinks are easy and tasty start with a simple basic and build your favorite.
Take leafy greens such as dark green lettuces, kale, spinach, parsley, or any others and enough water for blending.
Place a handful of green leafy vegetables in the blender. Add enough water to cover the vegetables and blend until vegetables are completely dissolved. Pour liquid into a 1 1/2 to 2 quart container and fill with water. Shake well before drinking. Sip throughout the day in place of water. Adding fresh ginger root, lemon or mint to the blend adds a nice flavor. Mix in any frozen fruit for a thick smoothie. If the drink seems plain add lemon it always picks up the beverage.
