The Power of Greens!

If you have absolutely no time to cook healthy, there is one simple thing you can do to add powerful health promoting nutrients to your diet. Green smoothies!
Greens are the healthiest foods on the planet and blending them up in a smoothie makes over 90% of the nutrients bioavailable. That means your body will absorb them instead of flushing them down the toilet because we didn't chew our salad good enough. You can find an easy smoothie recipe here: http://www.health4lifecooking.blogspot.com/p/recipes.html  Use the basic principle in this recipe then go crazy and be creative. It's fun and you'll feel great!

What is it about greens that are so great? 

 #1 - Greens contain a carotenoid anti-oxidant called Lutein. Studies show that people with the highest levels of lutein in their blood have no athlerosclerosis.....no cholesterol in the arteries.
I put them in everything!

#2 - Not only do they contain the antioxidant lutein, they also contain another antioxidant call zeaxanthin. These two antioxidants are the only known carotenoids located in the human retina. Light must pass through lutin and zeaxanthin before being transmitted to the cells that send visual information to the brain. They also protects the eye from damage from blue light and improves several aspects of visual performance. Reported by Joel Fuhrman, MD
Eat your greens every day!

#3 - Each daily serving of leafy green vegetables produces a 9% decrease risk of type 2 diabetes.
Reported by Joel Fuhrman, MD
Published in Diabetes Care 2008;31:1311-1317

Include a nice big leafy green salad with your favorite veggies every day. Make sure you add a healthy salad dressing. Try my Sweet Mustard Dressing on my recipe page.

#4 - One study showed that 1/4 cup of greens a day will cut your risk of heart attack by 67%! (Am J. Clin. Nut 2010)
They protect blood vessels, reduce oxidative stress, and reduce inflammation. They are only about 100 calories per pound and are between 25 - 39% protein.
They are one of the highest nutrient, lowest calorie foods you can eat.
Join me at the Kitchen Corner in St. George on January 23 to learn how to make 3 delicious soups using these ingredible foods.
See www.kitchencornersg.com.

#5 - If you find yourself at a salad bar this weekend and you are wondering which greens are the best to put on your salad, spinach gives you the strongest protection against all the cancers tested including breast, pr...ostate, pancreatic, stomach, kidney, lung and brain tumors. Lettuces tested were boston, endive, radicchio, romaine, and spinach.
This study was reported by Michael Greger, MD on his web site
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/1-anticancer-vegetable/

#6 - Greens are low calorie density. They are also high nutrient density. That is an excellent combination. Low calorie, high nutrition. Watch this great video clip from one of my favorite nutrition experts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gTLpTq1nQk