Posts Tagged ‘spinach’
Power Spinach Salad
This is very simple and tasty salad is full of powerfoods ; everyone I have served it to enjoys it very much.
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh spinach
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
few drops of stevia
Tamari or Braggs to taste
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, roasted till golden
2 mandarin orange sections
Directions:
1. Wash and trim spinach; pat dry with paper towels.
2. Combine lemon juice, oil, stevia and Tamari or Braggs in large bowl; add avocado cubes, coating well with the dressing.
3. Toss spinach and walnuts with avocado and dressing.
4. Add mandarin orange sections and toss spinach salad again.
Spinach – the First Green Powerfood
Spinach For Strength and Energy
Spinach was a powerfood even before there was the term Powerfood.
We’re referring of course to Popeye the Sailor Man . One can of the green stuff and he turned into muscle popping tornado of energy.
Even without Popeye’s recommendation, spinach contains more nutrients per calorie than any other food on the earth.
8 Benefits of Spinach:
1. Loaded with vitamins like A, K, D, and E and and a host of trace minerals.
2. Good source omega 3 fatty acid – the kind most of us need in North America
3. Anti-Cancer and Anti- inflammatory antioxidants:
Researchers have identified more than a dozen different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents.
In a recent study on the relationship between risk of prostate cancer and vegetable intake (including such healthy vegetables as broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprouts) only spinach showed evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer.
4. Alkalizes the body:
All those minerals helps to balance off the highly acid diet which most of us subject our bodies to and which drains our energy, increases obesity and a host of other health problems.
5. Good for the eyes:
The carotenoids found in spinach protects against eye diseases such as cataracts and Macular Degeneration.
6. Strengthens the Bones:
One cup of fresh spinach (or 1/6 cup of cooked spinach) contains TWICE your daily vitamin K needs. This along with the calcium and magnesium in spinach is essential to maintain healthy bones.
7. Perfect for Green Smoothies and Salads:
Organic pre-washed spinach is now readily available in most grocery stores. If you haven’t yet tried a green smoothie yet and think they might taste yucky then try one with the main ingredient as spinach. Spinach is so sweet, we guarantee you will be impressed. To see Diana make her own special brand of green smoothie click here. Diana’s Green Smoothie
8. Spinach is FRESH!
Studies have shown that those plastic tubs of spinach being exposed to even artificial light in the grocery store are actually help keep it from spoiling. This indicates the spinach is still metabolically active and fresh.
Tips and Cautions:
Tip #1: Make sure you only choose organic spinach. Non organic spinach is on the list of top foods with lots of chemical pesticides. You can assume that canned spinach is NOT organic. I can’t imagine anyone eating canned spinach anyway but since we mentioned Popeye I thought I had better mentions that.
Tip #2: Choose the GREENEST looking spinach you can find. Probably you would have anyway but studies have shown that the greenest spinach has the most vitamin C.
Tip #3: Because spinach contains high levels of so many nutrients it also has significant levels of oxalic acid. This has been associated with kidney problems and interference with absorption of other minerals.
There is much debate whether the oxalates in spinach would have this kind of effect but just be sure, if you have a pre-existing kidney problem, better to consult your doctor before eating too much.
At Real Food For Life, we recommend that a person balance their body enough so that they can use their own bodies as a gauge on how much or little to eat of a particular food.
For example, I usually crave spinach but sometimes I just don’t want it in my body. I suspect that perhaps I have reached my limit for something, (like the oxalates) within the food.
This personalized approach to your nutrition is the easiest and ultimately the most powerful approach to nutritional choices. We explain this more in our “Three Secrets” report.
Recipes with Spinach:
Power Spinach Salad: You just HAVE TO know how to make a good spinach salad. This one is great.
Miso Soup with Spinach and Mushrooms: This is fast, tasty, and contains at least three powerfoods.
Diana’s Green Smoothie With a Difference:
Copyright © Randy Fritz You are welcome to share this article with anyone who you think may benefit from this information as long as you give credit to Real Food for Life by including the link to the home page www.RealFoodforLife.com or the direct link to this post.
Eating Green, Clean and Lean E-book
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POWER UP YOUR DAY LIKE POPEYE!
We all know that that eating green leafies are good for us. Remember Popeye and what happened when he ate spinach. Yes, he became superhuman, and was able to protect and impress Olive Oyl.
The fact is: less than 5% of people who eat a “healthy diet” eat enough greens. Dietary Guidelines for American in January 2005 suggested that the average adult needs to boost their consumption of dark green vegetables by 200 to 300%.
Since we know greens are good for us why don’t we eat more of them? I think that mostly it is due to lack of really knowing the REAL Facts about these green leafies.
So that is what I am going to do is tell you all the benefits from eating lots of greens and how many you actually have to be eating to be enough. First of all let’s clarify which green leafies are really good for us. Basically the darker green they are, the more nutrients are in them. Good examples are: Romaine lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, chicory, watercress, arugula, bok choy and parsley.
Green Leafies are:
- Full of vitamins A, K, D, and E which are fat soluble; to absorb these vitamins make sure to add a teaspoon of dietary fat, such as butter, olive or coconut oil, nuts, cheese or salad dressing. This will make sure your body absorbs all of the vitamins in the greens. Vitamin K helps calcium and phosphorus bind onto the bone protein matrix.
- Rich in vitamins C, folate, iron and calcium. Folate promotes heart health, helps prevent certain birth defects, is necessary for DNA duplication and repair. Damaged cells not repaired can develop into cancer.
- Rich in phytochemicals such as indoles that help stop cancer before it starts.
- Full of flavonoids which protect against cancer, heart disease, allergies, ulcers, viral infections and tumors. • They are also great source of fiber.
- Alkaline forming
- Contains potassium is an essential mineral that is linked with proper blood pressure regulation and healthy heart function.
- Contains magnesium which helps regulate the blood sugar.
- And Glucosinolates, Indol carbinolsm, Beta-carotene, Sulforaphanes, Omega-3 fatty acids, Allylic sulfides, Seleniumm, Salicylates, Polyphenols, Flavonoids, Phytoestrogens, Genistein, Lycopene and Salicylates.
A whole page on each of these could be written but I am sure you get the idea….GREENS ARE GOOD FOR US!!!
One big reason many people do not eat enough dark green leafy vegetables is that they are not sure what to do with them.
Here are a few ideas:
- Add lettuce and or spinach to sandwiches.
- Add Romaine lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, chicory, watercress, arugula, bok choy and parsley to salads.
- Add greens to soups.
- Add to stir fry vegetables.
- Add chopped greens to potatoes or rice.
- Steam green leafy vegetables.
- Eat Green Smoothies, this way you can get lots of greens into one serving and as they are raw the greens will be packed with nutrients. This is definitely the tastiest way to eat you greens! See our latest video Diana’s Green Smoothie with a Difference
Copyright © Diana Herrington You are welcome to share this article with anyone who you think may benefit from this information as long as you give credit to Real Food for Life by including the link to the home page www.RealFoodforLife.com or the direct link to this post Power up Your Day Like Popeye!
Diana’s Green Smoothie with a Difference
I have always eaten my smoothie rather then drink them.
From the beginning, I saw that it made more sense to eat them rather then drink them and that is not just because I prefer to eat. Digestion starts with the digestive juices in the mouth.
Also, when I heard that jaw exercisers were being sold to people who drank lots of green smoothies all day…..I knew I was on the right track.
I don’t show it in the video but you can add different greens. I of ten use dandelion greens or lamb’s quarters.
You have to be careful in adding TOO MUCH of these kinds of greens because they have a stronger taste.
Diana
A Revolutionary Simple Approach To Healthy Eating
