THE POWER OF GREEN LEAVES AS MEDICINE
I am always busy researching and looking for ways that I can encourage our tribe to be the healthiest version of themselves. Sometimes we need to a little reminder and sometimes we perhaps need a fun goal to keep us on track along the journey. Life long health is a journey and I can attest to that!!
The simple practices that we do each day are the things that provide us with resilience in the longterm and allow us to enjoy a quality of life even as we get a little older.
One of the practices I do support my health is to enjoy a huge handful of green leaves every day.
March is typically the time of year when we think about Spring, Renewal, Fresh, Green etc etc… It is also a time to Re-Committ to caring for yourself so you can care for others. So here we go…
For 30 days I challenge you to consume I cup of Green Leafy’s a day…Are you in???
For 30 days : one cup of Green Leafy’s a day!
I challenge you to do this as a family or as a workplace team…
12 Health Benefits of the GREEN LEAVES CHALLENGE
Leafy greens including kale, spinach, arugula, parsley, cilantro, and chard are the undeniable superstars of the food world. Low in calories, yet high in fiber, vitamins, and phytonutrients, greens are incredible for your health in more ways than you would even suspect.
Greens have the power to make you look and feel younger, and can even support healthy aging! If you still need convincing, read on to learn about all the amazing benefits of getting more greens in your diet.
1. Support Optimal Brain Function
A recent study published in Neurology found that those who ate the most leafy greens each day had slower rates of cognitive decline compared to those who did not. In fact, the greens-eaters had the memory equivalent of someone 11 years younger!
2. Fight Belly Bloat
If you struggle with bloating, whether caused by diet, hormones, gut infections, or other digestive issues, there’s a secret ingredient in leafy greens that could help. Potassium, a mineral and electrolyte found in abundance in greens, is essential to keep an optimal fluid balance in your body. A diet high in sodium (often due to an overreliance on processed foods) can trigger or worsen bloating, and must be kept in check by adequate potassium intake–roughly 4,700 mg/day according to the USDA’s 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines.2 A single cup of cooked spinach contains a whopping 840 mg of potassium to get you well on your way to meeting your daily requirements.3
3. Make Your Skin Glow
Beta-carotene, the plant pigment that we normally associate with carrots and other yellow-orange veggies, is also hiding in leafy greens. Think of leaves changing color in the fall. As they lose chlorophyll (the pigment that makes them green), you can see the red, orange, and yellow pigments those leaves contain underneath. It’s these vibrant colors that are also responsible for the amazing health benefits of leafy greens.
4. Relieve Stress
For a natural way to relieve your stress!!! Leafy greens are an excellent source of folate, which helps your body produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
Plus, the magnesium found in green leafy vegetables can help support optimal vascular health.
5. Support Bone Health
Ditch the high processed dairy and instead, you can get plenty of calcium for supporting optimal bone health from dark, leafy greens. Green veggies such as broccoli and kale also contain tons of all-important vitamin K.
6. Support Healthy Aging
Are you looking to age healthfully? Who isn’t? Greens have the power to delay the shortening of telomeres, the protective caps on our DNA that shorten with age.10 Once its telomeres are completely gone, the cell dies.Broccoli sprouts, in particular, seem to have a superb ability to preserve telomere length.
7. Improve Inflammatory Response
Though this may be a no-brainer, I want to re-emphasize how important it is to support a healthy inflammatory response in order to protect yourself from a battery of chronic illnesses. Leafy greens contain antioxidants and polyphenols, the disease-fighting compounds found in plant foods.
8. Help Balance Sugars
Eating a serving of leafy greens with every meal can support appropriate blood glucose levels. Even just including a little over one extra serving of greens daily can make a big difference!
Not to mention, if you have a thyroid condition, dramatic swings in blood sugar encourage your body to convert more T4 to Reverse T3, the inactive form of thyroid hormone.
9. Support Optimal Gut Health
Do you struggle with leaky gut, food sensitivities, or autoimmunity? If so, getting more greens into your diet could help. A recently discovered gene known as T-bet that gets switched on by green veggies a precursor cells in your intestinal lining to produce innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). ILCs protect your body against gut infections and inflammation, control food allergies and intolerances, support a healthy immune response, and seal the leaks in your gut. Greens also feed your good bacteria, making leafy greens an all-around great choice for anyone dealing with gastrointestinal distress of any kind.
10. Remove Toxins Safely
Greens are expert detoxifiers, thanks to chlorophyll–the pigment that makes greens…green! Chlorophyll-rich foods such as spirulina, chlorella, parsley, and alfalfa bind to heavy metals and toxins in your blood and carry them out of your body safely. Chlorophyll also helps cleanse your liver to support your body’s natural ability to detox, and supports immune function to keep toxins from collecting in your body in the first place!
11. Boost Digestive Enzymes
I know many of have heard me say many times you aren’t what you eat, you’re what you digest and absorb. If you are experiencing all sorts of gastrointestinal issues including bloating, constipation, reflux, and nutrient deficiencies. it is likely you have an enzyme deficiency. Leaky gut it one of the biggest culprits of enzyme deficiency, as well as inflammation from food sensitivities, chronic stress, genetics, and aging. Raw, leafy greens are one of the best foods you can eat to support your body’s natural ability to produce digestive enzymes.
12. Support Your Immune System
One of the most promising benefits of greens may be their ability to support your immune system. Greens such as moringa leaf can support a healthy response to oxidative damage. Studies specifically tout the benefits of cruciferous vegetables including broccoli, arugula, and kale.
An Easy Way To Greens Leaves Into Your Diet
The easiest way is to buy a container of the ready made organic mixed leaves. They contain a variety of leaves. I also like to add Parsley, Cilantro, Mixed Sprouted Micro Greens to the mix so I get a power packed nutrient dense serving/s of Greens Leaves everyday.
So who is in??? 30 Days… At least 1 cup of GREEN LEAVES A DAY.
March 1st is the Start Date.
Have a healthy week
Dr Pia
