Green Foods

Green foods are healthy because they contain compounds that have anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects and may protect the brain, heart and vasculature, liver, and skin. One of the unique attributes of some green foods is that because they help the liver to work better, they can also assist with keeping hormones in balance.

The Food List

There is definitely no shortage of green foods! And surprisingly, most people eat too few of them. There are many options available to you to maximize your phytonutrient intake, and a long list of phytonutrients that can be found inside these green foods.

You will remember from yesterday's email that yellow foods are not the only ones that contain lutein, the carotenoid that is helpful for eye health.It is also present in the green vegetables, especially kale, parsley, and spinach! Other phytonutrients found in green foods include indoles and phytoestrogens (both of which help with liver health and hormone balance), chlorophyll (which gives green vegetables their color), folate (an important B vitamin), and phytosterols (which can help with balancing cholesterol). For the most part, the deeper the green color of the plant, the more nutritious it will be (with some exceptions). Iceberg lettuce is probably the least nutritious of the green leafy vegetables, while dandelion greens are one of the most nutritious. Look for leafy greens that are loose leaves rather than tightly bound within a head to maximize your phytonutrients.

The green fruits include Granny Smith apples, avocados, limes, olives, and pears. Avocados and olives are considered fruits as they contain a pit. These two foods are the "super foods" of the Mediterranean diet, so definitely a good addition to daily meals. Avocados are truly remarkable foods-one whole avocado has a substantial amount of fiber (about 9 grams) and even more potassium than a banana (about 700 mg). One study showed that eating a hamburger by itself led to an increase in inflammation in the body within hours after it was eaten. However, when just half of an avocado was eaten together with the hamburger, there was no increase in inflammation.

Olives and olive oil are just as good with respect to their strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. There is quite a list of compounds that are found within olives, including hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, and oleocanthal. Because these compounds are so helpful in keeping the heart and blood vessels healthy and protecting against heart disease, there are dietary supplements containing these extracts of olives. You can get them without taking a supplement by eating more olives and by incorporating more extra virgin olive oil (especially the less refined versions that have more of these active compounds) into your everyday cooking.

The green vegetables on this list are numerous: artichokes, bamboo sprouts, bean sprouts, bitter melon, bok choy, broccoli, broccolini, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, celery, cucumber, green beans, green peas, greens of all types (beet, chard, collards, dandelion, kale, lettuce, spinach, and turnip), okra, snow peas, and watercress.  The cruciferous vegetables like Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and watercress are considered to be excellent anticancer foods because of compounds they contain called glucosinolates (see below for more information). Some green vegetables and green foods like bitter melon and green tea have a bit of a bitter taste. Research shows that these bitter foods could be important for promoting a healthy metabolism.

Ways to get more green foods:

• Have an avocado in your salad or on top of a grilled chicken breast.
• Make a stir-fry with bok choy, broccolini, and carrots. Serve on top of brown rice.
• Have a cup of decaffeinated green tea instead of coffee.
• Use extra virgin olive oil instead of refined vegetable oils like corn and soybean oils.
• Add more green-colored herbs and spices to meat and vegetable dishes like rosemary, oregano, dill, and thyme.
• Toss some greens into your morning smoothie.
• Make grilled Brussel sprouts and drizzle with olive oil.
• Add green olives, green peas, cucumber, and celery to a salad.
• Squeeze fresh lime into your water.
• Make soup with bitter melon, celery, and beet greens.