Nature's Supergreens

Want to live a long, vibrant life and up your odds of avoiding chronic disease? Green and leafy vegetables should become an essential part of your daily diet. They provide a treasure trove of vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy immune system. They also help ward off diease such as cancer. Leafy greens are excellent for the glllbladder, spleen, heart and blood, and are a good brain food and natural laxative. Most greens can be cooked or eaten raw in salads or fresh juices.

To clean them, soak in sink of cold water and the juice of one lemon for a few minutes and swirl arround, then drain the water. Pat or spin dry. Tear the leaves into small pieces, trim the ends of the stems and chop when necessary. All leafy greens contain chlorophyll, iron, magnesium, calcium, manganese, vitamin C, potassium, vitamin A and a bonus of the essential fatty acids, with no cholesterol. The vegetales with the darkest, most intense colours tend to contain the highest level of nutrients. All lettuce is said to calm the nerves. Here is a brief listing of some of my favorite leafy greens :

1. Beet Greens. Best used in juices, they are vey high in nutrients, especially potassium, iron, and calcium. These grees also can be used in cooking. They are known for their benefit in blood isorders, liver function and flow of bile.
2. Chicory. This is a bitter green with curly leaves; the young leaves are best in salads, It's high in vitamins A and C, calcium and iron nd aids in liver function and blood disorders. Try radicchio, often called red leaf chicory, which is great in salads and adds a stunning, beautiful colour.
3. Collard. This brilliant green vegetable is a member of the cabbage family, Use onlu the leaves. They tend to be tough, so you may want to steam them for few minutes. Collards can be used in salads as substitute for cabbage and are also great for juicing. Because of its high nutrient content, no leafy green is more valuable in the body for disorderss of the colon, repiratory system, lymphatic system and skeletal system.
4. Dandelion Greens. The young leaves have tangy taste. They are good for gallbladder disorders, rheumatism, gout, and eczema and skin disorders. Dandelion is also an excellent liver rejuvenator. They cook the sam as any leafy green. They are rich in calcium, potassium and vitamins A and C. These are also exellent to add to juices.
5. Escarole and Endive. From the chicory family, the leaves are very dark green, with slightly bitter taste. These make a good salad ( with a citrus-flavoured dressing) and also can be steamed. Both are rich in vitamin A, B vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium, and iron. They are good for most infections, liver function and internal cleansing.
6. Kale. This is the king of calcium. Use only the leaves of this plant unless juicing. It taste likes cabbage. Add the juice of kale to carrot and other fresh vegetable juices. It's very high in usable calcium and is excellent for prevention and carre of osteoporosis.
7. Mustard and Turnip. These greens have a zippy taste with flavours varying from mild to hot. They are good sauteed with a little garlic or steamed, and also can be used in juices. They are high in calcium and vitamin C and are good for infections, colon disorders, colds, flu and elimination of kidney stones due to excess uric acid.
8. Rocket. This green from the mustard family is peppery and tart and mixes well with other greens. It adds pizzazz to any raw salad, is high vitamins A and C, niacin, iron and phosphorus, and is good for normalising body acid with its high alkalinity.
9. Romaine. It's wonerful crunchy green that is highest in nutrients of all type of lettuce, including rich ammounts of vitamins C and K and arytenoids. Romaine is not recommended for cooking.
10. Sorrel. This green has a pleasantly sour and slightly lemon flavour. It's easily perishable and best bought fresh or grown in your garden. Try sorrel in salads or as a seasoning in soups and casseroles. Sorrel is a powerful antioxidant with teh same healing properties as kale.
11. Spinach. It's tender, bright green leaves are most beneficial when eaten raw. Bacause of the oxalic acid content, some of the calcium becomes unavailable to the body. Spinach contains many valuable nutrients and is high in chlorophyll, potassium and iron.
12. Swiss chard. From the beet family, this green has a mild taste and is good with walnuts or pine nuts added to a salad. It has the highest sodium content of all greens. Chlorophyll and calcium-rich, Swiss chard is natural cleanser and helps strengthen bones. Look for Swiss chard in red, green and rainbow colours.
    
    source : nature and green magazine