11 Nov Eat Your Greens!

As you no doubt already know, vegetables are vitally important to our health, each one has its own set of key vitamins and minerals, but are we eating enough greens like kale, spinach, cabbage, watercress, spring greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts etc?

Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like these are the most nutrient rich of all but are sadly, according to research, the least consumed.

By not eating enough you could be missing out on the essential nutrients Vitamin C, E and K, Calcium, Folic Acid, Iron and Magnesium. Did you know for instance that calcium from kale is more easily absorbed by the body. Magnesium is hugely important for your muscles and your heart, which is of course the most important muscle in your body!

Raw kale and spinach contain more of the nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin than any other veg. These two nutrients can protect us from age related macular degeneration of the eye, a leading cause of blindness.

On top of that, greens are loaded with health giving phytonutrients and chlorophyll plus a mass of flavonoids that offer powerful antioxidant protection from free radicals, so helping to prevent cancer, reduce inflammation, aid liver detoxification and keep our heart and bones healthy.

Women especially can benefit from regular consumption of green veg like broccoli, savoy cabbage and in particular brussels sprouts as these can balance oestrogen levels and help to prevent specific female related diseases and cancers.

And don’t forget sea vegetables, like seaweed used in sushi, these also contain iodine which is seriously depleted in our diets these days and is so important for normal thyroid function, but that is a another story completely!

The problem with greens is that most people just don’t know what to do with them so just avoid them altogether but now you know how important they are, it’s time to find a way to get them into your diet more often.

I add them to smoothies, soups, risottos, stews, chilli, bolognese, vegetable goulash, frittata, cabbasta, vegetable strudel, broccoli/cauliflower cheese, egg fried rice, kale and anchovy spuds, crispy kale. Just about anywhere I can sneak a few in, I do.

Go on give it a try, you will reap the benefits, believe me!