Health and wellness are so much more than just what you eat (although this is a large part of it); your mind, body, and spirit must be connected, balanced, and well in order to experience a true sense of “health.”
So here’s the post for today:
GREENS, GREENS, GREENS.
Glorious greens.
Above are some greens purchased on a recent shopping trip.
Blessed to live in a place where the price of produce is reasonable, most of this produce is organic and I paid no more than $15 for all of it (the cabbage was 7 lbs. for a $1 on sale, and the organic kale and chard was 2 for $3!). This amount will last our family about a week.
Why Should I Eat Green Vegetables?
Some diets say stay away from peanuts, soy, wheat. Others say embrace those things. Some diets restrict fruits, others say eat all you want. So what’s a person to think of all this conflicting information?
While there are a lot of exotic greens out there, here’s a list of some of the green veggies and leafy greens that I have on a regular basis (depending on the season, price, and availability):
Leafy greens
Lettuce–Red, Green, Romaine, Iceberg
Spinach
Collard greens
Turnip greens
Chard–Red, Rainbow, and Swiss
Kale–Red, Black, and Green
Mixed greens (I usually buy what’s called a “Spring Mix”, a mix of various greens)
Green Vegetables
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Green Bell Peppers
Celery
Peas
Green Beans
Snap Peas
Greens have a ton of benefits.
While they are low in calories, they are high in micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and fiber. Greens are about 50% of calories from protein, 25% from fat, and 25% from carbohydrates. About a pound of greens is equal to 100 calories.
If so, start out with the simple goal of eating something green (preferably raw) to your lunch and dinner. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just start somewhere and go from there.
Eating greens takes some getting used to, especially if you are not accustomed to the taste. However, as with most things, in time, your body will crave greens and you will actually like them.
Here’s an excerpt from Furhman’s book, Eat to Live:
Most vegetables contain more nutrients per calorie than any other food and rich in all necessary amino acids. For example, romaine lettuce, which gets 18 percent of its calories from fat and almost 50 percent from protein, is a rich powerhouse with hundreds of cancer-fighting phytonutrients that protect us from a variety of threatening illnesses. Being healthy and owning a disease-resistant body is not luck; it is earned. (pg 61)
Raw green veggies are cleansing to the body, full of nutrients, and are low in calories. They are an excellent source of high quality protein and one of the best sources to for calcium. One of the easiest ways to get more greens in your diet is through “green” smoothies, which I will talk about in a later post.
Here’s a rich, creamy sauce to put on cooked or braised greens:
Walnut Sauce
1 cup walnuts
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic
1-4 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari, or Bragg’s liquid aminos
Blend in a food processor or blend until VERY smooth.
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