Health & Fitness
Fastest Simplest Way to Power up your Healthy Meals
By Sherri Mraz
In society today, do women eat enough green, leafy vegetables?
It must be a known fact by now – that the most under-eaten food is leafy greens. It is one of the most under-utilized types of food. This is changing to some degree, though, because the media is promoting greens. The problem is that although most people know they need to eat them they still don’t know what to do with them.
I suggest varying the types of greens you eat. Choosing a variety of leafy greens as well as cruciferous vegetables:
- Kale
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
- Broccoli
- Bok choy
- Brussels sprouts
Try throwing some iodine-rich foods into your diet, such as seaweed. You can start by just adding kelp, which is sold in a saltshaker like container in the spice isle.
Am I unknowingly suffering from side effects that can be attributed to lack of greens in your diet?
If you aren’t eating any greens, you may be creating blockages, which could lead to heart attacks or stroke. Greens help keep blood vessels open. Phytonutrients , essential nutrients concentrated in the skins of fruits and vegetables, help to purify blood.
Medicine will only mask conditions in your body, but you can reverse blockages with leafy greens. They can actually improve your health. Don’t take my word for it, you can read more about this in, Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease: The Only System Scientifically Proven to Reverse Heart Disease Without Drugs or Surgery.
What are the top five suggested “super greens?”
1. Kale — It has the highest density of nutrients per calorie.
2. Mustard and collard greens — Their bitterness can be an acquired taste, but there is no shortage of great recipes!
3. Spinach — It is high in selenium, which is key in detoxing your body. The frozen kind packs slightly more selenium than the fresh kind. Cooking enhances both types, though raw spinach in salads will still do a body good.
4. Broccoli – Also high in selenium, lightly steaming brings out the health benefits of broccoli.
5 Asparagus — It may help reduce the risks of certain cancers. Tip: Don’t let asparagus sit around in your fridge because it breaks down quickly. Try to consume it within a couple of days of getting it.
Each one offers different nutrients. This is why it’s important to mix it up, always go for variety.
You can often get shots of wheat grass at smoothie and juice bars, healthier-food cafes, and even coffee shops. It’s full of chlorophyll, phosphorous, vitamin, and it’s a great source of dietary fiber and packed full of vitamins and minerals. There is research to support the potential of wheatgrass to reverse diseases.
What are the specific health benefits of the above list?
They keep you at optimum health and energy, and lay out an impressive list of benefits. Dark leafy greens:
- Purify blood
- Reduce the risk of certain cancers
- Improve circulation
- Strengthen the immune system
- Support a healthy gut (which includes your intestines)
- Increase energy levels
- Improve liver, gall bladder, and kidney function
- Clear out the lungs
What about cooking?
People go crazy on convenience at the expense of their health! Vegetables take on different energy depending on how you cook them, such as steaming, boiling, or eating veggies raw, which helps preserve the most enzymes. You could be cooking out the beneficial nutrients.
Overdoing it in the microwave is the biggest mistake. Microwaving could rearrange molecules in food that the body may no longer recognize, thus the body may interpret it as a toxin. You might be eliminating nutrients altogether. You might as well be eating the plastic bag.
Any yummy tips for making veggies more palatable, if we don’t like them?
- Juice! Blend veggies into a fruit smoothie in the morning.
- Mix up the vegetables.
- Mix greens into salad—and add fruit.
- Try kale chips!
Her quick and delicious recipe for kale chips:
Rub well-rinsed kale leaves with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, spread on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until crispy.
I have made it my mission to teach people how to enjoy food again. You can check out recipes and or sign up for classes at www.cookinyogi.com.
Here’s a couple other leafy green recipes to try
Arugula Salad with Lemon, Balsamic Vinegar, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts.
These small steps can be delicious, whether it’s trying a new recipe or changing up the way you cook vegetables.
Start by rethinking greens and what they can mean for you.
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Sherri Mraz, the Cookin’ Yogi, can be found at www.cookinyogi.com.