Many of you already know me to say “salad is the main course” or “eat salad everyday” I post this phrase often in my private plant based lifestyle group to encourage others to eat more raw green veggies.

I have noticed when I eat green vegetables earlier in the day I stay full longer till later in the day.

And here is why…

This is because green vegetables have a compound call Thylakoids which are tiny structures that are found in the cells of green plants such as spinach.

It keeps me satiated so I have less cravings for sweets or fatty foods.

How do they help weight management?

Thylakoids have been found to suppress hunger and promote feelings of fullness.

Researchers believe they do this by influencing two hormones that are important in the regulation of appetite; cholecystokinin and ghrelin.

Also, the reason green plants are green is because they contain a special chemical, called chlorophyll.

This compound is called a phytochemical, with ‘phyto’ meaning plant.

The chlorophyll in the leaves of plants absorbs sunlight, converting it into carbohydrates from both the available carbon dioxide and water.

It also produces oxygen in this process.

The carbohydrate that the plant produces is the food that the plant needs to grow.

It is also the food that we eat when we eat green plants.

Chlorophyll, the compound that makes some vegetables green, is a delicate compound, and easily damaged by heat.

The greener the vegetable, the more chlorophyll it contains.

However, when you cook green vegetables until they turn that grayish – green color, they lose their enzymes and water-soluble vitamins, reducing their potent benefits.

Chlorophyll also cleanses your body and helps it to detoxify, absorbing and removing heavy metals from your digestive system.

But only when it is active, in the raw state.

Green vegetables are also full of other very important nutrients, in varying quantities, dependent on growing conditions and specific varieties.

They contain magnesium, phosphorous, calcium, zinc, copper, manganese, potassium, sodium, many of the B vitamins, such as B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B9 (folic acid)as well as vitamins A (in the form of beta carotene), C, E and K.

Furthermore they also contain the important antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which promote eye health, with lutein possibly also playing an important role in preventing colon cancer.

They also contain enzymes (if raw) as well as protein, fiber and some of the good fats, Omega 3‘s.

Green vegetables are also alkaline in action, which means that they are capable of shifting your body from an acid state to an alkaline state.

This is important because cooked foods and refined foods, stress, and low levels of exercise leave your body being acidic.

A low pH is known to be a precursor for not only low energy levels and inflammation, but also for degenerative diseases.

It can be a little confusing, but the lower the pH of a substance is, the stronger of an acid it is.

It’s therefore important to eat foods that promote an alkaline balance in the body, which help the body move away from an acidic state.

Green vegetables that come from the brassica family, are even more nutrient dense than ordinary green vegetables.

Broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts and red cabbage as well as Asian greens, including bok choy, chinese cabbage have potent anti-cancer properties, detoxify the body of environmental toxins and supply anti-oxidants too.

Any produce that protects you from cancer will also help with overall health and anti-aging.

Green sprouts are another very useful food, even more potent than fully grown green plants, because they are the seeds of the plant, and therefore contain all the power that the future plant requires for its start in life.

A tablespoon of seeds can produce a kilogram of sprouts, so they are a very cost effective food and contain a vast quantity of easily assimilated, natural nutrients, including carbohydrates, protein in the form of amino acids, as well as vitamins, minerals and some fats.

For example, the young leaves of barley have seven times the amount of vitamin C when compared to oranges and five times the amount of iron compared to spinach.

Sprouts have been recognized as important nourishing and healing foods for nearly 5000 years, so they have surely stood the test of time.

Super Green Foods

Freshwater algae, such as spirulina and chlorella, are also called super foods, because of their nutrient dense qualities, including chlorophyll, as well as amino acids and enzymes.

Living busy, stressed lives, many people find it difficult to purchase and prepare enough green foods to keep them – and their families – healthy.

This is why an organic green powdered blend, using the best forms of green foods, prepared using no heat, is a great insurance against nutrient deficiencies caused by low green vegetable intake.

Join my private Facebook group: Plantbased Lifestyle.

With love,

Sheri ❤️