It's Easy Being Green, But Can You Eat Green Too?

by Vic Shayne, PhD

Going green is a good trend in environmental service and awareness, but did you know you can go green in your diet as well? Too few people eat green foods, but this is where most of the nutrition is, so it’s time to start consuming spinach, broccoli, kale, bok choy, arugula, chard and other foods wherein chlorophyll is king. If you can’t eat enough greens, AT LEAST TAKE A DAILY DOSE OF GREEN NUTRIENTS!

There is so much research on the benefits of green vegetables that you’d think we’d have a population of Popeyes running around. But we don’t. Why not? Some doctors speculate it’s because green foods can be a little bitter. This is because they contain potassium and other minerals which are not, by any means, sweet. Natural sugars are more apparent in fruits than they are in green vegetables. So if you were weaned on Fruit Loops, you’ll have to acquire a taste for your greens. Or else.

What do green vegetables have that we all need so badly? Minerals, trace minerals, chlorophyll, vitamins, antioxidants, carotenes, flavonoids and fiber, to name a few ingredients.

GREEN VEGETABLE HIGHLIGHTS:

• Some of the phytochemicals in green vegetables can help in digestion and keep bad bacteria out of your stomach. Broccoli is a great example.
• Leafy greens and some green fruits also contain a phytochemical which keeps your eyes healthy and may keep you from going blind when you get older. Spinach, kale and collard greens are the best sources.
• Some green vegetables are high in beta-carotene, another important antioxidant. Beta-carotene can be converted to vitamin A in your body which helps your vision, immunity and your skin look healthy.
• Several of the leafy green vegetables are also a good source of potassium for your heart to beat correctly and your muscles to contract. They are also rich in calcium for strong bones.
• Women who have a higher intake of green leafy vegetables and fruit have a lower risk for type 2 diabetes, whereas those who have a higher intake of fruit juices may have an increased risk for the disease, according to the results of a study reported in the July issue of Diabetes Care.2
• “Fruit and vegetable consumption has been associated with decreased incidence of and mortality from a variety of health outcomes including obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases in epidemiological studies,” write Lydia A. Bazzano, MD, PhD, from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana, and colleagues.2
• Diets high in red meat and low in green vegetables are associated with increased colon cancer risk.3

Sources:

1. VIC Kids Program, Vegetable & Fruit Improvement Center, Texas A&M University System, 2000
2. Barclay, MD, Laurie, Green Leafy Vegetables, Fruit Intake Linked to Lower Risk for Diabetes in Women, Medscape Medical News, Jul 08
3. Johan de Vogel, Denise S.M.L. Jonker-Termont, Esther M.M. van Lieshout, Martijn B. Katan and Roelof van der Meer, Green vegetables, red meat and colon cancer: chlorophyll prevents the cytotoxic and hyperproliferative effects of haem in rat colon, Carcinogenesis 2005 26(2):387-393; doi:10.1093/carcin/bgh331; http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/2/387