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GREEN MAKES RED (BLOOD)! |
Our blood is red, but it is the things we eat that keep it a good lively colour. It is the dark green vegetables that give us the best red blood. When you are doing your meal planning remember this maxim! “Green makes red.”
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For generations children have been told to eat their greens. If you did a survey you might find that many people do not eat cabbage or dark green vegetables regularly, yet green vegetables are essential for our good health. We all need the iron to make our blood a good quality. Good blood is what takes oxygen around our bodies to keep our cells healthy. Parsley and watercress are other dark green leaves to use. |
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| For those who have chosen not have dairy products it is essential to eat green leafy vegetables as these are a major source of calcium. Good bones need calcium. Spring greens, Brussels sprouts, Savoy cabbage and other dark green leaved cabbage are excellent suppliers of calcium. Today people are also concerned about getting enough protein, but surprisingly cabbage is full of protein. We tend to think, however of meat or eggs, etc, as being sources of protein. |
| Not only that, they are high sources of Vitamin C provided they are only lightly steamed. Green leaves also contain generous amounts of beta carotene which the body can make into Vitamin A. Opticians advise that we should eat generously of the green vegetables to maintain the health and good functioning of our eyes. We talk about the iron in spinach but due to its chemical composition it is not so easily absorbed and whole grains actually provide us with more. The brassicas give us the best leaves. These are members of the cabbage family. |
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Greens are full of goodness but the wonderful thing is that they are very low in calories and cabbage is particularly high in fibre. There is a special quality in cabbage and it has been shown that if it is eaten regularly it will act as a protector against bowel cancer. The juice of dark green outside leaves of cabbage taken with some carrot juice or celery juice to make it more palatable, is an excellent help for stomach ulcers. It needs to taken regularly throughout the day, just a small glass at a time.
Going for a country walk? Take a bag with you and some rubber gloves!
For the adventurous what about picking some young dandelion leaves chopped in salads? They do need to be very young and picked before the plant flowers. They can then be a real spring blood tonic. They are not just good for the rabbit, but they are for you, too. Young nettles are healthful, too, if added to soups and all blended together. They all have the dark green qualities that are so good for us. The goodness is in the bitter qualities of these leaves.
Broccoli has become a favourite vegetable in the green grocer’s. Did you know it used to be called Italian asparagus. It is another member of the cabbage family, a brassica. Again it is high in Vitamin C and also in protein, and as a bonus has quantities of Vitamin B too. Make sure when you buy it, that it is squeaky firm, then rinse and wrap in kitchen towel in a sealed plastic container. It will stay fresh for up to a week this way.
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| STORAGE TIPS FOR VEGETABLES Kitchen towel and plastic containers are invaluable in the kitchen for keeping lettuce, radish, carrots, spring onions, runner beans, and cauliflower fresh and it is worth trying others too. Sometimes if you live on your own, vegetables from the shop, like a whole cabbage, look too large to buy, but broken down into smaller sections or leaves and kept fresh this way, means you can have fresh vegetable meals every day from one purchase.) |
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| Vit A, Vit B1, Vit B2, Niacin, Vit C, Vit E, Vit K, Folic Acid, Fluorine, sulphur, and the important Calcium and Iron—they re all found in dark green leafy vegetables. |
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