Still Not Eating Greens?

by laurel on December 8, 2009

One of the first things I learned in my health coaching training was that leafy greens are the #1 food missing from the typical American diet. It’s something worth mentioning, because greens are one of the most important foods for us to eat!

A 2011 study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that the carotenoid lutein, found in abundance in leafy green vegetables, helps reduce LDL cholesterol particles and help prevent heart disease with its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers.

I read another study that proves leafy greens are life-saving foods. Research scientists from the Hallym University College of Medicine in South Korea studied the amount of folate in the diets of women with colorectal cancer and without cancer. They found that women who ate the most folate every day were 50% less likely to develop cancer than those who ate the least amount. (Ref: Oprah Magazine, Jan 2010, p. 92). Make sure to focus on getting your folate from real food sources. Some studies have found that synthetic folate provides no protection against cancer. So fill up on green foods like: Asparagus, spinach, romaine lettuce, turnip greens, mustard greens, and broccoli. Lentil beans are also an excellent source.

Think of greens as a way to cleanse your body. If you compare nutrition to nature, the trees and plants on the Earth’s surface take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the atmosphere. The greens we eat as food also cleanse our bodies and support strong respiratory and circulatory systems.

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

greg May 18, 2010 at 3:08 am

This is information the world needs to know about, if they want to save thenselves on medical bills later in life, i have wheatgrass on a daily bases for this reason.

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