The Importance of Eating Something Green

Most Don't Have A Clue

I don’t think most people have a clue as to how important it is for you to eat your greens.When most greens, like spinach or kale, are eaten raw, we don’t realize it is loaded with a high vitamin and mineral content and when you cook it, it releases phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are plant compounds, sometimes called phytonutreints and these are well known for their health benefits which included anti-inflammatory properties that help protect against heart disease, while other phytochemicals are essential for eye health.

Eat Your Greens Raw

It is a good idea to eat some of your greens raw for the vitamin and mineral content but you should set some aside to chop and sauté or cook to release the phytochemicals. Spinach is great to toss on your pasta or on some rice, or eaten plain with a dash of olive oil and some pine nuts mixed in.

Spinach alone is great as a source for vitamins A, C, K and folic acid and it is a great source for magnesium, manganese, calcium and iron. One cup of spinach gives us over 50% of our daily vitamin A requirements that is necessary for vision, bone development and helps boost your immune system. That one cup gives us 15% of our Vitamin C requirements, which is an antioxidant important for healthy skin & bones.

Think about adding some chopped walnuts to your salad. They contain high amounts of vitamin E, both in the alpha-tocopherol form and in the gamma-tocopherol form, which may help in protecting us against heart disease

Go The Extra Mile

If you are about to run to the grocery store for Spinach & walnuts, go the extra mile and pick up some cranberries. Not only are they great for protecting us from urinary tract infections but they have a high concentration of vitamin C, which we all know is great for a healthy immune system.

Don't Forget The Tomatoes

Finally, I am sure you are asking yourself, what about those beautiful red tomatoes in the salad? Well, as I am sure most of you know, tomatoes have been known for quite a while to help fight against cancer, specifically prostate, but also for lung, stomach, pancreatic, breast, cervical, colorectal, oral and esophageal. Tomatoes are rich in lycopine, an anti oxidant that protects our body’s cells from oxcidants linked to cancer.

To your good health!

Jim