Green

The month of March as National Nutrition Month is quickly coming to an end. I have been slacking on my nutrition posts but hope to get through the rainbow of colors before the end of the month. I've already addressed Yellow/Orange and Red. Today, since I was able to work with some greens outside in the garden, I'll address the color green.

I've been eating tons of salad lately. Mostly due to the fact that I've been participating in Walk Kansas, which requires me to count my amount of exercise and cups of fruits and veggies each day. It is a bit of a contest and since I like to eat fruits and veggies I've done a pretty good job of consuming over the 5 a day recommendation. My salad greens thanks to AeroGarden.

Greens in the form of lettuce, spinach, beet greens, swiss chard, mustard greens, bok choy, and kale are all great leafy vegetables. These green leafy vegetables are some of the greatest superfoods because they are not only chalk full of nutrients but they are inexpensive for all their greatness. Leafy greens contain lutein which aids in eye health as well as calcium, iron, and folate which protects against birth defects. Vitamins A, B, C, and K are all found here as well. Add all that up and find some excellent antioxidants, cancer fighting nutrients. Enough said, green leafy vegetables are super foods in my book.

Broccoli, cabbage, green peppers, cucumbers, green onions, peas, beans and celery are additional green vegetables that contain many of these same nutrients. Kiwis, green grapes, limes, green apples are all fruits with the green color goodness as well.

The green fruit, the avocado, is another extremely beneficial food. Avocados contain many essential nutrients and are heart healthy. They contain mono-unsaturated fats which are hearty healthy when they replace saturated fats. These lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Avocados are high in fat which when eaten in place of other fatty foods is beneficial as it keeps us satisfied longer. This fat when consumed with other nutrient dense foods aids in the absorption of many fat soluble vitamins and minerals. Double bonus!

So there's my green spiel, just a week late from Saint Patrick's Day! Might I add that green is one of my favorite colors and half my closest is green.