We reviewed WHOLE FOODS basics - dark leafy greens, sweet root vegetables, sea veggies, beans and legumes, real whole grains like brown rice and quinoa and how they help to CREATE BALANCE in our body and brain. 

 

This club inspires us to add WHOLE FOOD in to what we eat.

 

We learned about whole foods, foods as they are grown in nature, where nothing is stripped away, changed, altered or modified in any way, as well as foods grown without herbicides, pesticides, growth hormones or other funky things - will help to crowd out the not so whole foods and junk "foods" that we might be eating.

 

 

We also talked about how what we eat impacts not just our mind and mood and energy, but our environment, too.

 

Select ANY green leafy vegetable when at the market:  kale, collards, spinach, chard, mustard greens, dandelion greens, beet greens, arugula, watercress, etc.  I like to have 2 or 3 on hand.

 

In medium sauté pan, put ¼ - ½ inch water & place on burner on high heat.  When it comes to a boil, add in chopped greens.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt.  Toss quickly with tongs.  Pour off extra water. (Add water to soup if you like.)  Drizzle a little olive oil on greens and serve!

 

For added nutrients:  Add a splash of tamari or Bragg’s.  Add cashews and dried cherries or white raisins, or pine nuts and tomato.  Add chopped garlic and fresh herbs.

1 leaf collard greens, 4 stems broccolini, small handful baby spinach

                                                     or

        1 – 2 leaves kale, 3 asparagus spears, 1 leaf collard greens

 

Green vegetables are the foods most missing in modern diets. Learning to cook and eat greens is essential to creating health. When you nourish yourself with greens, you will naturally crowd out the foods that make you sick. Greens help build your internal rain forest and strengthen the blood and respiratory systems. They are especially good for city people who rarely see fields of green in open countryside. Green is associated with spring, the time of renewal, refreshment and vital energy. In Asian medicine, green is related to the liver, emotional stability and creativity.

 

Nutritionally, greens are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, and vitamins A, C, E and K. They are crammed with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phyto-chemicals.

~  blood purification   ~   cancer prevention   ~   improved circulation  ~

~  strengthened immune system   ~   promotion of healthy intestinal flora  ~

~  promotion of subtle, light and flexible energy  ~

~   lifted spirit and elimination of depression   ~

~  improved liver, gall bladder and kidney function  ~

~  cleared congestion, especially in lungs by reducing mucus  ~