I had such an amazing and fun weekend.Me and my hubby are still house hunting still didn't really find the right place for us but I am positive we will get there.
On Saturday we went to a tiny little farm to get some organic produce and I was amazed about how different the fruit and veggies look and taste.They were so much smaller and sweeter like you just picked them from your own garden.The lady even went outside and picked some fresh mint and lemon balm for me.Heritage Prairie Farm is an all organic and family owned farm where you can find fruit and vegetables in season and they have a little store were you can find natural foods like breads or honey.
I always buy organic but I hardly get to the farmers market.Especially in the Chicago area you can't really find a lot of organic farmers market.There is a great market in Chicago which is called ''the green city market'' and all the food you buy there is organic and most of it is grown locally.It takes me about 90min to get there so for me it is more like a day trip that I have to plan ahead..can't wait to live closer to the highway..awwww!!
My husband had a very long night yesterday.He wasn't really feeling so well this morning so I made him one of my amazing delicious and nutritious green smoothies.I added some kale,bananas,black and strawberries plus some mint and lemon juice to detoxify his liver.He jugged it down right away and felt better instantly.
Greens are miracle workers, calorie for calorie,perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food.They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium) and vitamins like vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E and many of the B vitamins.They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene,lutein and zeaxanthin which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age- related problems, among many other affects.Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of omega 3 fats.
They reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer,they are low in fat and high in fiber plus nutrient dense.The high level of vitamin K in greens makes them important in the production of osteocalcin, a protein important for bone health.The risk of hip fracture in middle-aged women was decreased 45% for one or more servings/day of green, leafy vegetables compared to fewer servings.One study showed that an increment of one daily serving of green leafy vegetables, lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease by 11 percent.
There are plenty of different types of leafy green vegetables, however the 4 most nutritious have been mentioned below.
Kale is a descendant of wild cabbage and was a very well liked vegetable among the peasants in the Middle Age’s. Kale is definitely one of the most nutritionally dense vegetables around. Simply take a look at the nutrition facts and you will see, that for just 50 calories, Kale presents 3 times the volume of vitamin A necessary for a daily diet. That’s astounding! Kale also is rich in vitamin b folic acid and has a lot of potassium.
Spinach is believed have originated in Persia. At this time, the USA is among the best commercial producers of spinach across the globe. Popeye references aside, spinach is quite nutritious. It’s high in vitamin A and C and comes with a lot of iron.
Swiss chard is much like spinach. In the fourth century B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote concerning the health rewards of chard. Swiss chard is full of vitamin C and vitamin K as well as loaded with calcium.
Romaine lettuce has been grown since, at the least, 4500 B.C. It was initially cultivated in the USA in 1493 by Spanish Missionaries in California. Currently, California is the lettuce capital of the U.s.. Lettuce is also very balanced. The more dark the lettuce, the better. Lettuce carries tons of magnesium.
Health Benefits
| Body Odor | Blended or chewed well, leafy greens cleanse the system of toxins that cause body odor. |
| Bones | The combination of calcium and magnesium they contain make all leafy greens an important component of bone health and maintenance. |
| Digestion - General | When eaten raw, leafy greens stimulate digestion and digestive enzymes. |
| Hair | Reverse greying of hair. Should be well blended to assimilate available nutrients. |
| Hormone Balance | Provide a wide variety of nutrients necessary to maintain proper hormone balance. |
| Immune System - General | Provide essential nutrients to the endocrine system and make the body more alkaline, thereby strengthening immunity. |
| Sleep Cycle | Most provide tryptophan which aids in sleep. They make a light, low-fat meal, which allows for a peaceful night's rest. |
When eating a salad, usually people do not sit and chew their greens until it becomes juice. With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, people swallow each bite as soon as the food enters the mouth. All leafy greens have cell walls composed mainly of cellulose, which is very difficult for our bodies to digest in order to access the dense nutrients that the greens supply.
So, in essence the greens go in one way and exit the other with much of the nutrients still intact.That is were the green smoothie comes in.If you blend your greens a lot of the chewing work is already done for us by the blender.We are getting much more benefits from our vegetables by drinking them,it is easier on our digestion and we are absorbing the nutrients better.
Love
Jennifer
| . | |
No comments:
Post a Comment