Eat (or drink) Your Greens

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By: Danielle

What’s in your smoothie? Every time I think that I remember those old Capital One commercials….”What’s in your wallet” 😂😂 Annnnywho…..

One of the best ways to encourage detoxification and lower your body burden is by eating (or drinking) greens. 

Greens are superfoods. Badass leafy rockstars! 🤘

I don’t know about you but I wasn’t brought up on greens. My mom didn’t (and still doesn’t) like greens, so we just never really ate them. She compensated with with non-green vegetables like carrots and potatoes…..and one time…..TURNIPS,—which I still can’t look at or smell to this day. My mom tried to pass them off as potatoes and my 8 year-old self was like “these are NOT potatoes”!! Long story short, she made me sit at the table until all of my turnips were in my belly. I sat, and I sat, and I sat until my Uncle Ron…who was obviously tired of watching me suffer said, “just mix it around with your (KFC) coleslaw, stuff it all into your mouth and swallow it with your milk. Just get it over with.” 

So I did just that. I took my Uncle’s advice, and I mixed it with the coleslaw. I stuffed it all in my mouth until I looked like a chipmunk. Before I could get the milk into my mouth the taste and the smell got to me…it was too much…it smelled and tasted like feet. 🤢 My cheeks got fuller…my eyes watered…I started to cry and then…….BLAHHHHHHHHHHHH—like Mount Vesuvius—they spewed out like a fire hose…all over my Uncle and my Dad as they innocently sat at the table playing chess. It was quiet. No one moved. Everyone just starred at me. I ran out of the room crying and I’m pretty sure my mom vowed then and there never to make me eat turnips again because that was the last time we had them. Oh, the horror. I need a minute. 🤦‍♀️

Ok, sorry. I digress. 

I don’t mean to rip on turnips. They’re super healthy and delicious (to other people). They’re just not for me. And that’s OK. The same is true for you. No one said that you must eat alllllll the greens. Just try new things and eat what you like. No need to have a Mt. Vesuvius moment. Do what you can. No judgement here.

Ok, now that that trauma has been revisited, let’s get back to it. 😉

Green vegetables boost liver function, are high in fiber, are packed with Vitamins A & K, beta-carotene, folate, they contain phytonutrients…and… BOOM, they are low in calories. Total win! 

So what are these vitamin dense greens I speak of?

  • Kale (good source of lutein and beta-carotene)

  • Microgreens (immature greens that can contain 40x more nutrients than when they’re full grown. Top a salad with them or mix them into a smoothie)

  • Watercress (high tea! Pinky’s up!)

  • Collard Greens (one of the best sources of Vitamin K and can improve bone health)

  • Spinach (super packed with folate, a good source of Vitamin K, Vitamin A, and manganese)

  • Cabbage (may have cancer protective properties)

  • Beet Greens (rich in potassium, riboflavin, calcium)

  • Romaine (can reduce risk of heart disease)

  • Swiss chard (can possibly lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels)

  • Turnip greens (oh sweet Mother of… 🤢)

  • Asparagus (good for hangover’s thanks to their amino acids. Can I get a whoop whoop! I can’t do anything about your pee stinking though. Sorry) 🤷‍♀️

The heavy hitter here is what’s inside the “greens”. Chlorophyll. Remember chlorophyll from your high school science class? Or if you’re like me you’ll also remember it from the movie Billy Madison: “chlorophyll? More like borophyll!” 😂 It is anything but boring though! It’s actually pretty amazing. 

It has been found that chlorophyll (the stuff that makes greens… green) “significantly improves resistance to oxidative stress” by increasing enzymes to improve liver function. Optimal liver function is essential to detoxification. 

You can add your greens to smoothies or make a yummy delicious salad like my friend Kiran from Easy Real Food did here. Keep in mind, it is important to chew your greens. It’s great to juice and blend but chewing is what cues your stomach to start churning up that acid (in a good way) and begin peristalsis. So if you’re drinking a smoothie, kind of chew as you drink, or eat a nice big salad!

Wait! There’s more…the more greens you eat the more fiber you’re consuming. The more fiber you’re consuming the fuller you’ll feel and the less room you have in your tum tum for the not-so healthy stuff. You’re naturally crowding out the bad stuff which will, in turn, cause you to feel fuller longer and lose weight. Boo-ya!

Now, let’s see those pinky’s up as you eat that watercress sandwich!

Easy

it’s easy to pack a variety of greens into a smoothie or a salad

Peasy

greens are rockstar freaking powerhouse foods!

Lemon

healthy liver function is essential to detoxification

Squeezy

more greens= more fiber= feel fuller longer= lose weight

Now give me the sugar

Vitamix

Ninja Blender

Magic Bullet Blender



Rob OLeary