Don't Skip Your Green Vegetables!

You mother was right when she told you to eat your greens and this is the message you should be giving yourself and your loved ones every day. Greens provide superior micronutrient nutrition in a very low kilojoule package. Green leafy vegetables are powerhouses of life giving nutrients and are especially rick in minerals like calcium, magnesium, phosphorous manganese, folate, iron and chromium as well as vitamin C and certain B complex vitamins. Green vegetables also contain special anti-oxidants called sulforaphane, isothiocyanate and indoles, all of which exhibit strong cancer-fighting properties.

Using Greens

Since many of us don’t enjoy the teat of green son their own, we often need to get creative about how we use them. Here are some suggestions.

Add green leaves to salads. If you battle to take down big junks, chop your green first. Baby leaves are more tender and a little sweeter than the more mature leaves and often wok better in salads. If the bitter taste is too much, add some sweetness to your salad. Chopped fruits, like papaya or strawberry work well with mixed greens, or add a sweet dressing like honey mustard.

Instead, you can also steam greens in a steamer and simply add some olive oil, salt and pepper and use as a healthy side dish — or greens to omelettes and scrambled eggs. Chopping up some greens and using them as a topping for pizza is yet another option. 

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Still looking for options? Here are some other possibilities:

• Any food dish can be topped with greens. Simply chop then up and add a handful as a raw topping to your favorite cooked meal.
• Next time you make your favorite sandwich, be sure to add some raw greens before taking a bite.
• Green leafy vegetables are easy to grow all year round. Consider growing some leafy greens at home, so that you have daily access to their goodness. All they need is a little bit of sunlight and daily water and care.
• Puree spinach or other greens to make a sauce or soup. Puréeing green leafy vegetables makes them smoother and easier to eat in larger quantities.
• With a decent juicer, you can juice your greens to get out maximum nutrition. Mix a small quantity of juice greens with other fruits and vegetables like carrot, beet or apple to improve the taste.

Here Are 10 Of The Top Greens To Include In Your Day

Spinach

Spinach is probably one of the most widely used greens. It is good in stir-fries or pureed into soups. Baby spinach is especially good raw in salads. Spinach also makes good juice for green juices. Unique anti-cancer compounds called epoxyxanthophylls are plentiful in spinach and are currently being researched for their amazing abilities.

Broccoli

Broccoli is one of the so-called cruciferous vegetables, which also include cauliflower and cabbage. Cruciferous vegetables contain high amounts of sulforaphane, which can stimulate enzymes in the body that detoxify carcinogens and are particularly good against breast cancer. Experts recommend that we eat about 1 cup per day of cruciferous vegetables for optimum health and disease prevention. Broccoli works well in many meals including soups, stews and salads. It is also great just lightly steamed with some olive oil and salt.

Kale

Kale has cancer-preventing properties related to its high isothiocyanate concentration. Isothiocyanates are effective against cancers of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. As many as 45 plant flavonoids have been identified in kale, making it one of the richest super food greens. Kale can be used in stews and salads and also dehydrates well, which is why kale chips are a popular store bought or make at home healthy snack.

Romaine Lettuce

Although all lettuce has some value, romaine lettuce is definitely one of the more nutritious varieties. Romaine is particularly rich in beta-carotene, which is lacking in most other greens as this nutrient is generally found in orange vegetables. Romaine is also loaded with vitamin C. It is generally eaten raw on salads and can also be used as part of a green juice.

Bok Choy

Otherwise known as Chinese cabbage, Bok Choy is a major component of Eastern diets. It ranks high nutritionally and is particularly rich in omega-3s and zinc, compared to most other greens.  Shave identified over 70 antioxidant phenolic substances in bok choy. It is used primarily in stir-fries and other Asian dishes.

Collard Greens

Collards are also part of the cruciferous family as they are closely related to cabbage. Besides its anti-cancer potential, collard also helps lower cholesterol. They are good steamed or chopped into salads.

Turnip Greens

Turnip greens are sharp in flavored leaf and rich in vitamins A, C, and K as well as calcium. They are tender leaves typically used in Southern style cooking. For best results, eat the turnips too.

Beet Greens

Next time you use healthy, red beets, be sure not to discard their life-giving greens. Beet greens are one of the best vegetarian (non-heme) sources of the mineral iron.

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Arugula

Arugula, also known as rocket, has a sharp peppery flavor. It is a relatively dark green and provides much the same nutrition as spinach and is also very detoxifying.

Swiss Chard

Swiss chard has a taste similar to beet and also has some red coloring on the leaves and stems. It contains a wide range of antioxidants and minerals. Its soft in texture and tastes good when sautéed.