Greens Article

Gr

een

s...

Th eQ

uee ns of t

he V

ege

tab

le K

By Jodi Brown

ing

do

m

Wouldn’t it be nice if someone wrote a happy story about the food that we consume? Told us a tale about how we can improve the quality of our health in new ways with nutritionally dense food and how it can taste good in the process? I don’t know about you, but I have grown tired of hearing about all the things we consume that are bad for us. We all know what the biggest culprits are — excessive amounts of saturated fats, sodium, sugar and carbohydrates. Let me show you a few delicious ways you can start the pendulum swinging in the other direction.

Photos by Jodi Brown

My experience has proven to me over and over again that green food in general makes most folks crinkle up their noses and recoil at the sight of it. Maybe this reaction is because many of them grew up with vegetables that came out of a can, like I did. Why vegetables get a bad rap, I’ll never be sure.

The latest raw food, vegan and vegetarian lifestyles have given healthy food a facelift. Cutting out the bad stuff no longer means that you are left with tasteless, lifeless, dry foods. Today’s better health choices are delicious. It has been four years since I started making drastic changes in my diet and I feel better than I ever dreamed possible. And for me, it all started with the green smoothie.

If you can flash back to your high school biology class with me for just a minute, you’ll get a refresher on the process that ultimately makes greens so great for you.

Plants grab nutrients and water from the soil (this is why buying organic is so important) and ultimately combine them with carbon dioxide and sunshine to make what they need to survive and grow larger and stronger— glucose. In the process they generously give oxygen back to the air (and us). The molecule that allows all of this to happen is chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll is what makes leaves green.

We take in chlorophyll, as well as a variety of other good stuff, when we eat the greens of a wide variety of plants.

Chlorophyll is known to help

Kale and Avocado Salad

build blood and detoxify the body of unwanted junk. It also assists in the production of red blood cells as well as increases their ability to carry oxygen. It has an intense work ethic.

If you can peak your head into that classroom again, you‘ll likely remember that in order for chemical reactions take place in an organic environment (and you are an organic environment), each and every reaction needs a chemical compound, a mineral, a vitamin, an atom from here, or a molecule from there to complete its task so that the next string of events can happen. Today’s popular food preparation processes kill almost all of what is nutritionally available in our foods through high heat.

The good stuff is basically cooked right out of everything.

Therefore, important reactions necessary for the body to help and heal itself can’t take place if atoms, molecules, minerals, etcetera are not present.

Disease and illness are the result of the body not getting the elements necessary for it to complete all the chemical reactions that need to happen in order for us to stay healthy. This idea is basic science, not rocket science.

The more food is processed, the less there is available in it for your system to benefit from a nutritional standpoint.

This fact alone is one of the most compelling reasons that it is so important to eat fresh fruits and vegetables.

In fresh form, they are still loaded with all the good stuff our bodies need to continue running at its best.

Greens in particular are loaded with precious gems and are incredibly nutrient dense. Calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, amino acids (which when linked together become proteins, yes proteins), vitamins (C, E, K and many of the B’s), lutein, and omega 3 fatty acids just to name a few. And, of course, Mr. Chlorophyll. And let’s not forget fiber, the “A Team” of keeping it clean. Fresh greens are a great way to get on the fast track to better health.

Salads are how most of us traditionally get our greens.

There are a plethora of greens to choose from in today’s markets, and many are washed and ready to use.

Take advantage of what’s out there. Variety is key to achieving the benefits that each individual green brings to the party. If you like spicy, get yourself some arugula or radish sprouts. And

let me tell you this, kale is no longer just for decorating the deli case. Keep in mind that the darker shade of green the leaf is, the more nutrients it has. So kale is a much better choice than iceberg lettuce.

Here’s a different salad for you. Every time I serve this, people are blown away by it. The raw seeds turn this salad into an even bigger superstar.

Kale and Avocado Salad 1 head of kale leaves removed from the ribs, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces.

1 lemon, juiced 3 tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVO) 1 clove of garlic finely minced (you can substitute powder when you are in a rush) 2 ripe avocados Tomatoes of your choice and quantity, diced Pinch of cayenne pepper Salt and pepper to taste (easy on the salt) Raw sunflower seeds (optional), small handful Raw pumpkin seeds (optional), small handful 1tbsp. hemp seeds (optional) In a large bowl put kale, lemon juice, EVO, garlic, cayenne and ONE avocado and massage the contents into the kale. Don’t be gentle with this. We want to break the kale down a tad and make it a bit wilted.

Add tomatoes, and the remaining avocado (diced) and toss with seeds. Adjust seasoning to your liking.

Back to the green smoothie I alluded to earlier. I start every day with one. It isn’t always easy to get all the raw fruits and vegetable we need in daily, so the smoothie is a great way to combine the two in a palate-pleasing powerhouse. I make an entire blender full in the morning.

I drink half for breakfast, then I throw the other half into a recycled glass jar and it goes with me for the day. At some point, either for lunch or an afternoon snack, I finish it up. NOTE: Smoothies are to be made and consumed on the same day.

Here are the basics. You’ll need a knife, a cutting board and a blender. Keep in mind that this is not a structured process. A little fruit, some greens, some good water and zoom—you are in business. Greens can be any lettuces, kale, herbs (parsley, cilantro, mint), spinach, chard, or bok choy just to name a few. You should mix and match and change it up weekly in order to properly rotate a variety of greens and fruits into your diet. Variety is important so you don’t get bored and so you don’t build up alkaloids in your system from using the same ones daily. Variety is the spice of life. Shake it up and keep it interesting.

Don’t be afraid to start out slowly. I do about a 2:1 (greens to fruit) ratio, but I’ve been at it for a bit. Add greens a little at a time until you get the hang of it.

Sweeter fruit will make it more enjoyable, but add sugar as well. Always be mindful of using too much of anything sweet, fresh or not.

The Green Smoothie Today I had a banana, spinach, parsley, mango smoothie: 1 banana 2 cups spinach ½ cup parsley ½ a mango 2 cups water Blend til smooth Yesterday, I had pineapple, mint, parsley, cucumber and mango (mangos on sale this week): ½ cup pineapple 1 cup of parsley 1 cucumber (peeled if not organic) A couple sprigs of fresh mint ½ mango 2 cups water Blend til smooth Got the hang of it? For more fabulous information on the green smoothies, check out Victoria Boutenko’s book called Green for Life. It is chock full of information and ideas to make you a master of the green smoothie.

Summer is coming. Lighten your food load. Eat fresh, organic and green whenever possible. Your body will thank you for it.

About the author: Jodi Brown is the Ultimate Kitchen Commando and loves to turn people on to delicious and healthy foods. She assists people with food transitions and teaches healthy cooking classes. She shares her time between New Orleans and Pensacola. Go to www.ultimatekitchencommando.com to learn more.

38 Pm