Vegetables. The reason we couldn’t leave the dinner table early as children, or have dessert. You had to eat ALL of them before any of that could happen. Instead of poking the broccoli around the plate, and trying to sneak it to the dog, now I wish I had actually listened to my parents and grandparents, vegetables are good for you! Although, I remember begging my dad to stay up late one night, as most children do, wanting a snack before bed to stall time. He offered up a few things, and then sarcastically asked if I wanted green beans. I ate the whole can, I love my veggies! Starting with Greens, that dark leafy spinach in a can that Pop-Eye used to eat and gain muscle mass instantly. If only it worked that fast!
Dark green leafy vegetables are, calorie for calorie, probably the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.
The star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. One cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own.
Vitamin K:
- Regulates blood clotting
- Helps protect bones from osteoporosis
- May help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques
- May be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthitis
- May help prevent diabetes
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with oil.
Almost Carb-Free , great news! Feel fuller without all of the guilt!
Greens have very little carbohydrate in them, and the carbs that are there are packed in layers of fiber, which make them very slow to digest. That is why, in general, greens have very little impact on blood glucose. In some systems greens are even treated as a "freebie" carb-wise (meaning the carbohydrate doesn't have to be counted at all).
It’s really easy to incorporate into your daily lifestyle. If you love spinach or arugula as much as I do, it’s perfect with some fresh fruit and almonds for crunch, and a fresh squeezed lemon. You can add most any leafy veggie, like spinach, kale, parsley, cilantro to any smoothie and the fruit sweetens it so you hardly know there were vegetables hiding in it! I love to use the juicer, for green smoothies- cucumber, kale, spinach, and add kiwi and pineapple for sweetness J Eating healthy doesn’t always have to taste bad!