Source: BlackDoctor.org
Are you interested in being healthier? How about slimmer, smarter, or more beautiful? Well, eat your leafy greens (kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, spinach, Swiss chard), and you’ll be on your way to all of those.
Leafy greens are extremely low in calories, yet super high in nutrients. Make them the base of your lunch and dinner and weight control can be breeze. Three cups of most kinds of greens contain less than 100 calories. Garnish with low -calorie ingredients like butter and creamy dressings, like season with herbs and spices, lemon, and low calories salad dressings.
If you’re trying to lose weight, but unable to master portion control, do consider satiating your need to chew and swallow with hefty helpings of greens as part of your meals.
Greens also contain folate, a vital nutrient for DNA repair and lutein, which balances the lipids in the skin, increasing hydration and elasticity. Lutein also protects against sun damage that ages the skin.
Kale, Spinach and Swiss Chard contain antioxidants including beta carotene, which helps renew and repair your skin.
The long held belief that diet has no bearing on acne has been debunked. Studies have shown that high glycemic foods do trigger breakouts in some people. Switching to a low-glycemic diet, which includes leafy greens, has proven to be effective.
In a study done at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, undergraduate students were shown two sets of pictures: a set of faces one reflected the look of having ingested about 3.3 servings of high color fruits and vegetables, and a set of faces that did not. The students deemed the fruit/veggie eaters to be more attractive than the non-high color food eaters. More servings were associated with more attractiveness.
So, eat lots of leafy greens (as well as other high-color vegetable and fruits) and you may find yourself getting more compliments than you used to. Try leafy greens like this:
RAW: Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or lemon and a little (no more than one tablespoon) olive oil to flavor them. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and crushed pepper
COOKED: Boil the greens in fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth or water and add some chopped garlic and lemon juice. Cook until the leaves are tender.
Serve with broiled, or baked chicken, or fish and a baked sweet potato, or some brown rice.