Green is a Goal

Today is all about the green! What a great day to introduce you to all things green when it comes to the foods you eat.  NOW WAIT! Don’t leave me yet.  I’ll be the first to admit that unless green foods involve mint chocolate chip ice cream, key lime pie or, especially on this day – green beer, I was never too quick to pay attention.  But as I have continued to learn more about how the foods and beverages I put into my body influence how I feel, I’ve adopted a new approach when it comes to green foods.  And that is being curious.

For those of you who are struggling with achy joints, foggy or forgetful brains, or just feeling exhausted this could be some life-altering information.  There are several green foods that can help your body heal itself when incorporated into your diet.  The following list of foods are helpful when fighting that ugly word inflammation that’s being tossed around these days.

 

 

One of the key reasons to introduce these foods into your diet is to increase the pH level of your body.  As your body functions 24/7, 365 days a year it is consistently creating, destroying, and detoxifying to maintain a range of pH that leans toward more of an alkaline range.  Did you know that if your blood pH registers somewhere below or above the normal range of 7.35-7.45 death is imminent?  That’s not a lot of wiggle room. On the other hand, that is how amazing your body is to keep that balance throughout your entire life. I plan to go into more detail about body pH in future blogs.  So stay tuned.

 By eating some of the foods listed above each day you can help your body maintain that normal pH range.  In turn, your body will thank you by functioning with more ease.  And when your body isn’t focusing its energy on maintaining a normal pH, it can focus on other important needs of your body like devouring unwanted cells that could lead to cancer, or unwanted viruses or bacteria that are in your body. 

 If you’ve done your own research into green foods you have probably uncovered words like carotenoids, sulforaphane, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). These terms have to do with substances that can be found in foods that help your body decrease chronic inflammation. Foods like broccoli, avocado, green tea, and others.

 And in a similar fashion as I stated just a moment ago, if your body doesn’t have to focus its attention on combating inflammation it can focus on other important needs of your body like devouring unwanted cells that could lead to cancer, or unwanted viruses or bacteria. And if you take that a step further can you see how eating green foods can help boost your immune system?

Not only can you start eating more green foods, but you can also select those foods from sources that are more green.  Places like your area farmer’s market, co-ops, or grow your own under organic conditions.  

One of the most disheartening discoveries I’ve made over my years in health coaching is how off track we as a nation have become with the foods that we eat. Studies have shown that 60-70% of the calories consumed in America do not come from eating real food.  Most of our foods are so processed and degraded that we have to now chemically add back nutritional value through fortifying and rejuvenating these foods. No wonder we are a sick nation with chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity continuing to rise. 

If you make an effort to start eating more real foods starting with the green foods, it would change your world. Begin by adding one green food to your menu each day or each week.  Find what works for you. As you start to freshen your palate with real food you will have a totally different experience when sitting down to dinner.  The flavors are so good. And when you go back to the processed foods you may be surprised at how much they lack in flavor. And you may notice how different you feel (and not in a good way) after eating those processed foods. Another bonus is that grocery shopping becomes so much easier.

 Which green food will you choose today?