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10 Ways to Improve your Digestion and Brain Health with Leafy Greens

Leafy greens give you the most nutrients per calorie. Rich sources of fiber, vitamins C and A , B3, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and vital phytochemicals  (natural plant compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory properties), these plant foods boost your mood, brain health and immune system. Make greens part of your meals. Choose the ones you most enjoy. Discover new leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts). Find the ways that work best for you.

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Leslie Korn, MD” source_title=”Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health” full_quote=”Green plants are rich in chlorophyll, the green color of plants that helps to clean and build blood. It inhibits bacterial growth, yeasts and fungi in the digestive tract, purifying the body of toxins. It is anti-inflammatory and helps to renew cells and support healthy gut bacteria. It is an energizing food important to people with fatigue-related conditions, depression and IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome” short_quote=”It is an energizing food important to people with fatigue-related conditions, depression and inflammatory bowel syndrome”]

Salads: Add rainbow vegetables and use leafy varieties to keep salads tempting – arugula, spinach, bok choy, kale and different lettuces

Coleslaws– Use different cabbages, add colored veggies, herbs, nuts and seeds

Cruciferous Salads – Go beyond cabbage, use any cruciferous, add any thinly sliced, or grated vegetable – carrot and beets to from fennel and jicama and more. Skip the mayo and use a tangy vinegar-based dressing

Breakfast Smoothies – always add protein, and health fat (nut butter, flaxseed, chia seed, kefir or milk of choice)

Egg Casseroles, breakfast tacos and omelets

Roasted vegetables – Use cruciferous vegetables with sweet potato and other root vegetables.

  • Add chopped herbs before roasting – rosemary, sage, thyme
  • Or after roasting – basil, cilantro, mint, parsley

Chicken and Veggie Sheet Pan Dinner

Add to grain bowls and pasta dishes – leafy greens, herbs, chopped or grated broccoli/cauliflower

Add leafy greens – such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard –  to soups, chilies, stews the last few minutes of cooking.

Or serve with chopped herbs (such as cilantro, parsley) on top

Make Pesto

  • Roast on fish, or chicken
  • Spread on breakfast toast, or rice cakes for a snack
  • Use as a sandwich spread or veggie dip
  • Toss with pasta, or grain bowls
  • Add to salads

Use in lunch wraps with hummus, pesto,  leafy greens and leftovers

Use the Swiss chard or collard greens as the lunch wrap. Spread hummus, Greek yogurt or pesto and add leftovers. Or shredded veggies like carrot or beet and chopped nuts or seeds.

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”full” source_author=”Elson M. Haas MD” source_title=”Staying Healthy with Nutrition” full_quote=”Chard is about one-third protein and a good fiber food. Collards are among the richer sources of Vitamin A, folic acid and vitamin C are strong. Minerals calcium, potassium, iron and zine are plentiful as are multiple phytochemicals.” short_quote=”Chard is about one-third protein and a good fiber food”]

 

Updated from original post published October 2021

Good Mood Leafy Greens

Eating leafy greens regularly is one of the most powerful ways to care for your mental fitness, brain and physical health.  They are a rich source of B vitamins, linked with better mental functioning and keeping your brain healthier and sharper as you age. They contain vitamin K which has been shown to boost memory, and phytochemicals that protect neurons from damage caused by oxidative stress. Loaded with  immune protective micronutrients, leafy greens also:

  • reduce inflammation (high brain inflammation is part of depression and anxiety)
  • improve your immune system’s resistance to viral and bacterial infection
  • work together to enhance defenses against destructive toxins
  • detoxify and remove carcinogenic compounds from your body
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”full” source_author=”Leslie Korn, MD” source_title=”Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health” full_quote=”Green plants are rich in chlorophyll, the green color of plants that helps to clean and build blood. It inhibits bacterial growth, yeasts and fungi in the digestive tract, purifying the body of toxins. It is anti-inflammatory and helps to renew cells and support healthy gut bacteria. It is an energizing food important to people with fatigue-related conditions, depression and IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome” short_quote=”Green plants are rich in chlorophyll. It is an energizing food important to people with fatigue-related conditions, depression and inflammatory bowel syndrome”]

Varieties

Did you know there are at least 18 different varieties of lettuce? Leafy greens also include:

  • Arugula
  • Beet greens – cut thin like coleslaw and add to salads, add to soups and chili or stir-fry
  • Collard greens – you can use as a wrap instead or tortilla
  • Escarole
  • Kale
  • Mustard greens – add to omelets and frittatas, bean dishes and stir fry
  • Radicchio
  • Sorrel
  • Spinach
  • Swiss chard
  • Turnip greens 
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”full” source_author=”Dean Sherzai, MD, PhD and Ayesha Sherzai, MD, MAS” source_title=”The Alzheimer’s Solution” full_quote=”When you want more bang for your nutritional buck, eat your greens. Greens are one of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world; that is, they are high in nutrients and low in calories. They pack so much in: phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, fibers, good carbohydrates, even protein. Almost all studies done on brain health and nutrition show that the foods that stand out for people who have the best brain health and general health are greens. It’s always greens.” short_quote=”Studies on brain health and nutrition show that the foods that stand out for people who have the best brain health and general health are greens”]

Kale is packed with

  • 45 different varieties of protective antioxidant flavonoids
  • vitamin A which can improve learning skills
  • mood-elevating vitamin C
  • vitamin K which boosts memory
  • essential minerals that protect against cognitive decline

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”full” source_author=”Rebecca Katz” source_title=”The Healthy Mind Cookbook” full_quote=”Swiss chard is agreat source of memory-boosting vitamin K. It’s also loaded with vitamin A, which has been linked with improvements in various learning skills. The array of B vitamins here, including folate and B6, may help keep the brain healthier and sharper as we age. Swiss chard also contains the minerals iron and zinc. Avoiding iron deficiencies is critical to avoiding cognitive complications in life. And zinc boosts our memories and may help keep depression at bay.” short_quote=”The array of B vitamins may help keep the brain healthier and sharper as we age.”]

Cruciferous vegetables

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”full” source_author=”Rebecca Katz” source_title=”The Healthy Mind Cookbook” full_quote=”Broccoli has B vitamins in abundance which is linked with better mental functioning, and as we get older, the prevention of dementia. Cabbages are especially powerful brain foods. Red cabbages have antioxidant phytochemicals that protect neurons from damage caused by oxidative stress. Cauliflower is a great source of vitamin C which is good not only for overall health of your brain but may elevate your mood. Kale is packed with 45 different varieties of antioxidant phytochemicals and mood-elevating vitamin C. ” short_quote=”Broccoli has B vitamins in abundance…”]

These are in the same nutrient dense leafy greens category. The name comes from the flowers, with four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross. They have antioxidant phytochemicals that protect neurons from damage caused by oxidative stress. And lots of memory-boosting vitamin K. Cruciferous vegetables include:

  • Bok choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Collards
  • Kale
  • Kohlrabi
  • Mustard greens
  • Turnip greens
  • Watercress

What to Do?
Leafy greens are very versatile. Enjoy them in salads, soups and stews, or stir fries. Blend them into pesto and serve over fish or chicken, pasta or roasted vegetables. Add them to smoothies, blender muffins and pancakes.

8 ways to Boost Your Immune System and Mood with Leafy Greens

Did you know that eating leafy greens almost every day may be one of the most powerful steps you can take for your mental and physical health? They give you optimal amounts of immune-protective micronutrients

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Michael Greger, MD” source_title=”How to Not Die ” full_quote=”Greens truly are the healthiest foods on the planet. You simply can’t do better in terms of nutrition per calorie. Explore, innovate, taste test, play and teach you palate to enjoy them. Whether you sneak them into a refreshing smoothie, incorporate them into sauces and dressings, use them as a base for main dishes, or eat them straight in a big, vibrant salad – just do it. Your body will thank you for every bite of green you take.” short_quote=”Greens truly are the healthiest foods on the planet. You simply can’t do better in terms of nutrition per calorie…”]

Cruciferous Vegetables are in the same high-nutrient leafy greens category.  Named for their flowers with four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross, cruciferous vegetables include:

  • Boh choy
  • Broccoli
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Cauliflower
  • Collards
  • Kale
  • Kohlrabi
  • Mustard greens
  • Turnip greens
  • Watercress
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Rebecca Katz” source_title=”The Healthy Mind Cookbook” full_quote=”Broccoli has B vitamins in abundance which is linked with better mental functioning, and as we get older, the prevention of dementia. Cabbages are especially powerful brain foods. Red cabbages  have antioxidant phytochemicals that protect neurons from damage caused by oxidative stress. Cauliflower is a great source of vitamin C which is good not only for overall health of your brain, but may elevate your mood. Kale is packed with 45 different varieties of antioxidant phytochemicals and mood-elevating vitamin C. ” short_quote=”Broccoli has B vitamins in abundance…”]

Our bodies are programmed to fight off infection and cancer. Green and cruciferous vegetables help our immune system to protect us from disease.  Over 120 of phytochemicals (natural plant chemicals) have been identified that have strong immune-boosting effects:

  • anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
  • detoxify and remove carcinogenic compounds
  • heighten the immune system’s resistance to viral infraction
  • work together to enhance defenses against bacterial infection
  • give each cell its own protective shield so destructive toxins cannot do damage
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Leslie Korn, MD” source_title=”Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health” full_quote=”Green plants are rich in chlorophyll, the green color of plants that helps to clean and build blood. It inhibits bacterial growth, yeasts and fungi in the digestive tract, purifying the body of toxins. It is anti-inflammatory and helps to renew cells and support healthy gut bacteria. It is an energizing food important to people with fatigue-related conditions, depression and IBS (inflammatory bowel syndrome” short_quote=”Green plants are rich in chlorophyll. It is an energizing food important to people with fatigue-related conditions, depression and inflammatory bowel syndrome”]

What to Do?

  • Blend greens into breakfast smoothies (spinach, mint, basil, kale…)
  • Add them to breakfast tacos, omelets, egg casseroles
  • Use variety to keep salads tempting: leaf salads using spinach, arugula, kale and different lettuces
  • Add grated cruciferous to leafy salads or grains
  • Put to soups, chilies, stews
  • Mix in cruciferous vegetables with sweet potato, any potato, any roasted other root vegetables
  • Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and crushed garlic to toss with grains or whole-wheat pasta
  • Make pesto to spread on fish, chicken, use as a sandwich spread, toss with grains and pasta, add to salads
  • Make Coleslaws– Go beyond cabbage, use any cruciferous, add any thinly sliced, or grated vegetable – carrot and beets to from fennel and jicama and more. Skip the mayo and use a tangy vinegar-based dressing

Call to Action: Try a leafy green each week you have not eaten before. Which one will do you choose this week?

  • Arugula
  • Beet greens (cut thin like for coleslaw, add to salads or stir-fry)
  • Collard greens (use as a wrap instead or tortilla or as with beet greens)
  • Escarole (in place of lettuce or sauté with veggies or beans)
  • Kale (try it in a pesto) over fish, chicken, sandwich spread
  • Mustard greens
  • Radicchio 
  • Sorrel
  • Swiss chard
  • Turnip greens 
  • Let us have lettuce! 18 different kinds 😊

Updated from original post published November 2016