Have you ever heard, “You are what you eat?” It always seems to pop into my head when I sit down at the table. And it’s not really surprising because what we put on our plate is either nourishing our bodies or it’s feeding disease.
Across America, we see this all too well:
- 610,000 Americans die from heart disease every year.
- More than a million live with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
- In 2018, almost 1,800,000 new cases for cancer were diagnosed in the United States.
- The National Institute of Health reports that 24 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases and the numbers are rising annually.
There’s no single food that can turn our country’s health completely around. But one of the best ways to move in that direction is through super-foods like greens. I’m talking spinach, broccoli, kale, collards, beet greens, chard, cabbage, cauliflower and many more. Every one of them is a power-pack that offers the best protection in fighting disease.
All plant foods have amazing benefits but leafy greens are clearly at the top of the list. Let’s look at some key reasons why they’re on our list for “food that loves you back.”
LIVE LONGER AND FEEL BETTER
Let’s start out on the island of Ikaria, just off the coast of Greece. This is where you’ll find one of the healthiest Blue Zones of the world. In Ikaria, 1 out of every 3 people live to be 90 years or older But people there don’t just live a longer life. They’re living a healthy and productive one.
When you compare Ikarians with Americans, we just don’t come close. Almost 6 million Americans suffer from dementia but it’s quite rare in Ikaria. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are also significantly lower than over here. What gives Ikaria such an important health edge? Most of the people in Ikaria eat lots of vegetables that they grow in their own gardens. And clearly greens are their favorite.
More than 150 wild greens grow on the rocky island of Ikaria. There you can find purslane, dandelion greens, wild fennel, arugula and many more. These rich mountain plants are a great source of minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, and even calcium. In Ikaria, eating a cup of greens every day is their key to living longer and feeling better.
You and I don’t have to move to Greece to experience these benefits for ourselves. We have access to a great many greens. We can enjoy eating collards, kale, mustard greens, beet greens, spinach, and so many more. In your local grocery store, you are bound to find dozens of fresh and frozen greens that you can add to your family’s meals. You can join the Blue Zone Revolution!
LOVE YOUR HEART THE GREEN WAY
If your heart had a favorite color, it would definitely be green. This is because the more fruits and vegetables we eat, the lower our risk for heart disease. And the vegetable most strongly tied to lower heart disease is leafy greens.
How do greens protect your heart? When we’re born, endothelial cells that line our blood vessels produce nitric oxide in great abundance. And that’s what keeps our blood flowing smoothly. But if we’re eating the standard American diet for a long time, which is loaded with meat, eggs, dairy, oil, and processed foods, our endothelial cells are no longer able to produce sufficient nitric oxide. As a result, blood vessels become damaged with atherosclerotic plaques. And the result is poor circulation and increased risk for heart disease.
But I’m here tonight because I want to give you hope–leafy green vegetables can heal our arteries and veins. Greens allow oxygen-rich blood, rich with nutrients, to flow past our cells, renewing their vitality and removing old waste products. So, if you want to improve your circulation and protect yourself from heart disease, eat at least 2 servings of greens every day—that’s the equivalent of just one cup! One cup of a leafy green salad or 1 cup of broccoli can protect you from high blood pressure and heart disease. However, if you’re already dealing with heart disease, you’ll want to increase that to up to 6 servings a day.
THE GREENS WAR ON CANCER
How about cancer? Can greens make an impact here? One recent study took a look at 8 different cancers–breast cancer, brain tumors, kidney cancer, lung cancer, pediatric brain tumors, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, and stomach cancer. Could salad greens slow down cancer tumors by at least 50%? This study examined the effect of 5 leading salad greens (Boston leaf lettuce, endive, radicchio, spinach, and Romaine lettuce).
In their findings, one salad green effectively reduced the activation of cancer cells by at least 50% in every cancer group. All of these greens were able to cut cancer growth in many areas, but spinach led the way by reducing cancer growth in every cancer group under examination.
Other research has shown that cruciferous vegetables (vegetables in the cabbage family) are also very successful in doing the same. Adding food like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage can also give added protection in the war against cancer.
Why are greens so effective in the area of cancer protection? A multitude of studies indicates that greens have a 3 point punch in fighting cancer.
- They prevent carcinogens/cancer cells from being activated in the body.
- If cancer cells are already present, they can neutralize their toxic effects.
- They speed up the removal of carcinogens from the body.
They also prevent DNA damage, activate the body’s defenses against all pathogens, help prevent lymphoma, boost liver-detoxing enzymes, target breast cancer cells, and reduce the risk of prostate cancer progression.
GREENS AND DEMENTIA
In Ikaria, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are a rare occurrence. Is this linked to Ikarian’s great love for greens? Although many factors play into healthy aging, a healthy diet makes a big difference. A recent study published in the journal, Neurology, discovered that seniors who ate greens every day had a slower rate of mental decline when you compared them with other seniors who ate little or no greens.
This was a huge study of 980 men and women. The average age of participants was 81, none of them had dementia. The researchers followed these individuals for 5 years, noting how greens played a role in their brain’s health. They discovered that the people who ate 1.3 servings of greens each day (just a little over a cup) had brains that functioned as if they were 11 years younger. And the results were even stronger when they included broccoli or other members of the cabbage family in their diets.
One important reason for better brain health has been linked to the high levels of folate in greens. When we have insufficient folate, the body will produce higher levels of homocysteine. When we have too much of this essential amino acid, it sets the stage for inflammation, plaque buildup in arteries and veins, and increased risk for stroke. However, it’s also been linked to increasing mental decline in older adults, as well as a loss of memory, fuzzy thinking, and higher risk for dementia.
GET MORE ANTIOXIDANT POWER
What is the best way to get the most antioxidant power from eating greens? Repeated studies have shown that many vegetables, including greens, give you more antioxidants when they are cooked, especially when they are steamed or boiled. Another interesting finding is when you eat fermented greens, such as sauerkraut, you will actually lose antioxidants by 30%. So how we prepare our greens can make a big difference in how many benefits we can experience.
In cooking your greens on the stove, try sauteeing them in some delicious vegetable broth rather than using oil, butter, or margarine. This will help your body activate more antioxidants as well as protecting your circulation.
DO I HAVE TO EAT KALE?
Absolutely not. Kale is only one member in the huge family of greens. There are greens to suit every person’s tastebuds. And this is so exciting because that means we can all GO GREEN, no matter where we live. And I hope you will because greens are definitely one food that will always love you back!
Eat 1 cup of greens each day. Here’s some to get you started.
- BROCCOLI
- COLLARDS
- RED OR GREEN CABBAGE
- WATERCRESS
- RADISHES
- CAULIFLOWER
- KALE
- SPINACH
- TURNIP GREENS
- BOK CHOY
- SWISS CHARD
- PARSLEY
- ARUGULA
- DANDELION GREENS
- BEET GREENS
- TURNIPS
- ROMAINE LETTUCE
- ENDIVE
