15 Impressive Health-Boosting Benefits of Leafy Green Vegetables
~ by Monique Bastien
There’s no secret that leafy green vegetables are the nutritionally fashionable thing to do these days, and in case you’ve not recently reviewed the reasons why, this quick article will do the trick. Read more below from nutritionist, Monique Bastien, and find out how eating more green leafy vegetables could be the secret to unlock your health challenges, improving your energy, attitude and youthful good looks!
So Why All The Big Fuss About Greens?
Most people do not eat enough green leafy vegetables. Their nutritional value however, is immense.
Here are some interesting facts about greens:
• Greens contain more beta-carotene than carrots
• Greens contain more vitamin C then oranges
• Greens contain more Vitamin E than whole grain wheat
• Greens contain more vitamin B2 than dairy milk
• Greens contain a complete amino acid profile (protein)
Greens provide the best source of the alkaline minerals: calcium, magnesium, and iron as well as many others. These alkaline minerals create the perfect environment for health by cleansing your body of bad bacteria, parasites, yeast, etc.
By eating and including greens in you diet every day, you will experience:
- A huge boost in your thinking power
- Better mood
- A healthier body weight
- Reduced stress
- Increased vitality
- A healthier heart
- A supply of vital chemicals into your blood stream that can unclog arteries
- An amazing ally in the fight against cancer through the release of (special) agents that can cause abnormal cells to shrink or disappear
- Slow down your body’s natural aging process (deterioration)
- Boost immunity and stem off the flu, other viruses and bacteria
- Stimulate your body to make more killer cells to ward off infection
- Relief from headaches and asthma
- A boost in your fertility and
- More va-va-voom in your sex drive
- Beautiful healthy skin, hair and nails!
Honestly, I could go on, but the fact of the matter is, there are so many benefits, but it would be impossible for me to name them all.
Let’s take a look at a few of the biggies and why greens are so darn good for you!
Chlorophyll – The Blood of the Plant
Just like hemoglobin is the blood in the human body, so chlorophyll is the blood of plants. The only difference between the two is the nucleus. The nucleus of hemoglobin is iron while the nucleus of chlorophyll is magnesium. Eating greens daily is like giving your body a transfusion, only a healthy one that won’t harm you. This in turn will increase your energy and vitality.
There is a saying in the health industry, ‘Eat green veggies for minerals and eat fruit for vitamins.’ Although fruit contain some minerals, they do not contain as much as greens (which includes sea veggies as well). So eat fruits for their vitamin content and for fuel and eat greens for their high alkaline mineral content.
Alkaline Minerals – Calcium, Magnesium and Iron
All vitamins, minerals and other nutrients complement or interact with each other in the human body. This interaction can either help or hinder absorption.
Here’s an example: the interaction between calcium and phosphorus. Calcium is an alkaline-forming mineral and phosphorus is an acid-forming mineral. The two are needed in the human body but they need to be in balance; this is very important. When not in balance, if there is more phosphorus in the diet than calcium, then the body will start to rob the bones of calcium to compensate.
Again this is because phosphorus is an acid-mineral and the body will do what ever it has to do to maintain an alkaline state, including the robbing of vital minerals from other parts of your body. When the body can no longer stay in an alkaline state, disease sets in and eventually, if things are not fixed, death results.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep your body in an alkaline state. It is highly recommended that the ratio between calcium-to-phosphorus is 1 to 1. In other words if you are consuming 800 mg of phosphorus a day, then you should be making sure that you are consuming 800 mg of calcium or more.
Are You Getting Enough Minerals?
In order to get enough minerals in your diet you need to consume lots of leafy green vegetables! You would never be able to eat enough greens to get these minerals even if you ate them all day long, but you can drink far more than you can eat, right?
This is where blended greens come in! 😉
“Green smoothies” are so easy to make. The blending process ruptures the cell wall and makes the greens completely ready for your body to assimilate. All you have to do is mix it with your saliva, and down it goes. Your teeth could never do as good a job as a blender, and remember your stomach doesn’t have teeth.
Eating a variety of greens is also important. I find that most people stick to only one or two types; this is not good because you need to vary the quality and nature of the food you’re eating. In nature you would never eat off only one tree and survive. Our consumer lifestyles have disconnected us from the natural variety of life, so it’s importnat that you find ways to incorporate it in your diet and be adventurous. Here are some different greens you should be eating: Kale, broccoli, mustard greens, collard greens, all types of lettuce, spinach, wild greens like lamb’s quarters, leafy celery, chickweed, etc.
“Should I Be Worried About ‘Oxalic Acid’?”
First lets look at some facts that we can see.
• Herbivores eat a tremendous amount of greens every day.
• They are not suffering from mineral deficiencies, in fact they are very strong.
• Their bones are not brittle due to minerals binding in their body from too much oxalic acid.
• They are not iron-deficient.
Do you see them sleeping all the time? No! You see them running around with a tremendous amount of energy.
When green leafy veggies which are high in oxalic acid are cooked, the heat alters (changes) the oxalic acid, which causes it to bind with calcium in the body as well as interfere with iron absorption. When these same greens are eaten or drunk raw, then these oxalates are metabolized properly by the body.
You will find amazing recipes in our 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox program that will help you have a good variety of greens in the form of green smoothies, blended salads and green raw soups. They will provide you with all the minerals you could ever need!
Monique Bastien
To experience what green smoothies can do for your health, energy, mood and overall well-being, jump on board the next version of our 21-Day Green Smoothie Detox! With the support of a community, your personal coach and loads of recipes, menu planners and action steps to support you, this is an amazing way to get you feeling better and looking younger with just one simple lifestyle change. Experience the difference a green smoothie detox can make and get started today!!