The number one thing you can do today to improve your health and boost your energy is eat leafy greens. This simple act has powerful implications.
In his book, Integrative Nutrition, author Joshua Rosenthal describes it this way: “Greens help build our internal rainforest and strengthen our circulatory and respiratory system.” He goes on to say that the color green aligns with spring, “a time of renewal, refreshment, and vital energy.”
Indeed, the list of beneficial properties offered by greens is long and includes everything from improving circulation and liver function to strengthening the immune system, clearing congestion, and promoting healthy gut flora.
Greens provide a whole host of valuable nutrients, micronutrients, and phytonutrients such as:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Potassium
- Phosphorous
- Zinc
- Vitamins A, C, and K
- Fiber
- Folate
- Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll (found in all green vegetables) is a powerful blood builder akin to liquid oxygen! If you are trying to get pregnant, you can benefit from the high folate content in greens. And if you need to increase your calcium intake, leafy greens beat milk because they don’t put the body into an acidic state the way dairy does.
Greens with significant amounts of calcium include cooked beet greens, kale, dandelion greens, collards, parsley, turnip greens, and watercress. (An interesting aside: the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who said “let food be thy medicine,” relied so heavily on the healing powers of watercress that he built his first hospital next to a stream so he could grow it.)
Other greens to rotate into your diet include spinach, cabbage, bok choy, and broccoli.
Here are some easy ways to eat more greens:
1. Drink them in the morning! Start off your day with an alkalizing green smoothie.
Mix the following ingredients in a high-speed blender:
Green Magic Smoothie
- 1 ½ cups water, or almond or coconut milk
- ½ avocado
- Handful of spinach
- Dash cinnamon
Alternatively, if you have a juicer, make this easy and delicious recipe from Juicemaster Jason Vale which also happens to be my favorite breakfast!
- ¼ small pineapple
- ½ stick celery
- 1 inch chunk of cucumber
- 1 small handful of spinach leaves
- 1 peeled lime
- 2 apples, preferably yellow
- ¼ ripe avocado
- Ice
Juice the pineapple, celery, cucumber, spinach, lime and apples. (If you have a whole-fruit juicer, put in one apple, place the other ingredients on top and then finish up with the other apple). Place the ripe avocado flesh in the blender / smoothie maker along with the ice and juice mixture. Give a good whiz for 45 seconds (or until smooth).
Pour into a glass – enjoy!
2. Drink the broth or “tea” that’s leftover in the pan after briefly steaming or boiling your greens.
3. Grow your own greens either in a container on your porch or balcony, or in a raised garden bed in your garden. You can also seek out fresh greens at your local farmer’s market or join a co-op to ensure regular delivery of them. Great organic farms in Cairo are Go Green Markets; Sara’s Organics and Tabi3y.
4. Get into the habit of having a simple raw mixed greens salad with lunch and dinner.
5. Add green algae superfood supplements such as spirulina and chlorella to your daily routine for an added dose of disease-fighting phytochemicals. These can either be taken as tablets or dissolved in water or your green smoothie. You can find them here and here.
Once you crowd out other foods with these nourishing plant-based options, you’ll be glowing with positive energy. Try it today and tell me about your experience!