In this post we want to come back to our Green Challenge and encourage you to participate and get excited about eating more leafy greens. The message about eating more greens goes back a long way. As a kid I remember watching Popeye get strength from eating spinach. As a Cuban kid raised on rice and picadillo, spinach was a strange food, however. The greens I would see in my plate was an occasional iceberg lettuce leaf. I didn’t even know what a spinach plant looked like since Popeye’s spinach came in a can and was not fresh.
As I think about my own experience with greens it really was non-existent, and it was only as an adult that I began to incorporate them into my diet. My experience is not that uncommon, which means that although the message about greens may have gone out for a long time, the practice of incorporating them into our diet is probably a recent or near recent experience.
No longer a kid, I’m now looking at the next phase of my life as a 51 year old and want to stay as healthy and vital as possible. We know that there’s growing scientific evidence that suggests that adding greens to one’s diet staves off cognitive decline. The primary nutrients that are believed to be involved in providing protection are magnesium, manganese Vitamin K, folate and lutein. But instead of adding these in an isolated supplemental form, efficacy is based on eating real foods rich in these nutrients. This is important.
There’s also plenty of anecdotal evidence that provides powerful reasons for significantly adding more greens to one’s diet. One such person that has provided powerful testimony is Dr. Terry Wahl’s who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and within a short period of time was wheelchair bound and in steep decline. She was able to reverse the effects of her illness by shifting her diet adding a significant amount of nutrients through an increase of green leafy vegetables, colorful produce and fruits, and grass-fed beef and organ meats.
Please take 15 minutes to watch her presentation:
We share this post as a form of encouragement for those of you reading. We know that there’s no magic step we can take to make everyone healthy, but there are some common sense, scientifically research methods that are simple and accessible. Our Green Challenge is all about encouraging healthy eating for greater health.
The first pick up of greens will be Sunday, February 4. Let us know if you are participating with us by January 22. We look forward to celebrating at the Farm!