In the world of raw foods green is a new black. Thanks to inspiring work of Viktoria Boutenko, who started the "green revolution" four years ago, everyone now knows how important eating lots of greens is to us.
Why Greens are Important?
According to Boutenko's research, greens are the primary food group that match human nutritional needs most completely.
Greens are very high in amino acids,
the building blocks our body uses to create protein; these amino acids
are easier for the body to utilize than complex proteins that come from
meat, fish, and dairy. Can greens really supply enough protein for the
body? Well, yes! Just look at the largest vegan on earth - the elephant.
Greens are also high in fiber,
the necessary component of elimination process. Without fiber, our
colon fills up with toxic waste and we eventually become sick and
chronically tired. Insoluble fiber in greens acts like sponge that
takes the toxins out of our colons and helps us stay healthy and
vibrant.
Greens supply our bodies with many vitamins and minerals
necessary for optimal functioning. They also have an ability to make
our bodies alkaline - an extremely important factor if you want to
enjoy disease-free, youthful, energetic body. Consuming lots of greens
on a daily basis is the most important step to maintaining good
alkaline pH balance.
The last, but not least, benefit of consuming lots of greens is chlorophyll,
the sunlight in liquefied form. No life is possible without sunlight
and no life is possible without chlorophyll. The molecule of
chlorophyll is almost identical to the molecule of human blood, so when
we consume lots of chlorophyll-rich greens we are literally consuming
"plant blood" that adds to our own.
Green is a color of the
heart charka, according to Yogic teachings. When we consume lots of
greens, we come to experience being peaceful, centered, connected to
our body and our heart, and we experience being more open to the world
around us.
So Where Do I Start?
To
truly enjoy all the benefits the greens can bring us, we have to
consume at least a pound of greens a day. That sounds like a lot,
doesn't it? But there is a solution to this problem.
The first and the easiest step to start bringing more greens into your diet is a green smoothie.
When Viktoria Boutenko started her research, she discovered that
greens, when juiced of blended, had a very strong taste and were almost
impossible to consume. Through her study of chimpanzees (our closest
"relatives"), she discovered that the primates consumed lots of greens
daily but that they mixed the greens with fruit.
That is how the
green smoothie was born. By blending greens with fruit (and some clean
water) we create a delicious drink that we enjoy while increasing our
capacity to consume greens (we can drink several times more greens in
one smoothie than we can eat in one salad).
Here are some simple recipes to try (add some water to all of them):
2 cups of baby spinach + 1 big mango or 2 bananas
1 bunch of parsley + 3 pears
8 romaine lettuce leaves + 5 cups watermelon
several kale leaves + 3 bananas + 4 dates
This
is your chance to get creative in the kitchen and experiment with
various greens/fruit combinations. Find the one you enjoy the most and
make them as often as you can.
More Ways to Eat More Greens
1. Try a shot of wheat grass.
Wheatgrass is a blood purifier, cleanser, and detoxifier. It contains
chlorophyll, which helps carry oxygen to every cell in your body.
Oxygen in the body's cells helps fight off disease, harmful bacteria,
and cancer.
If you are new to this, go try it first by
ordering at your local smoothie bar. Then, make plans to have this
twice a week, then work your way up to having this daily. (If you are
in the healing process it is recommended to have 4 ounces daily on an
empty stomach.)
Hippocrates Institute suggests drinking
wheat grass juice in small amounts throughout the course of the day,
always on an empty or nearly empty stomach. Two to four
ounces every day or every other day is sufficient. If drinking it straight up causes you nausea, mix wheat grass juice with other green juices and sip slowly.
2. Discover Blended Salads
Blended
salads or "green raw soups" require very little digestion and will
deliver more minerals, compared to eating and chewing the same amount
of vegetables in a salad. The greens of choice are spinach, lettuce,
and celery, and a smaller quantity of more bitter greens. Add various
vegetables and avocadoes to make them delicious.
Here's my favorite recipe (from Jennifer Cornbleet's "Raw Food Made Easy" book):
Garden Vegetable Soup
1 small zucchini
½ cup of water
½ ripe tomato
1 celery stalk
2 green onions
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons of white miso (can be omitted if you don't have it handy)
1 garlic clove
1 cup of spinach
dash of salt and cayenne pepper
½ ripe avocado
Put
all the ingredients except avocado in a blender and process until
smooth. Add the avocado and blend until smooth. Add a little more water
to achieve your preferred consistency.
3. Sprouts Are Your Best Friends
Sprouting
is the kind of greens, really. You get the highest nutritional value
from these little miracle workers. By adding lots of sprouts into your
diet you will definitely make a dramatic difference in how you feel,
look, and perform on a daily basis. Sprouting is one of my favorite
subjects and I recently published a series of posts covering it in great detail.
If
you are inspiring to eat high or even 100% raw, if you want to overcome
food cravings, enjoy vibrant health, feel full of energy and enthusiasm
for life, then start eating more greens today!
© 2009 Radiant on Raw
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