The Health Benefits of Eating Green Foods

Kermit the Frog once sang about the difficulties of being green and the way many people avoid foods of the same color (not frogs, of course…they’re friends, not food), one could be forgiven for thinking there truly is something wrong with the color green.

The health benefits derived from green foods comes from what they do not contain, such as sugar, fats, and salt, and what they do contain; nutrients essential to improving and/or maintaining your overall health. However, these health benefits do not appear to be enough to convince many of us to eat them on a regular basis. And while Kermit would applaud us for not eating his green brethren, he would certainly want us to eat more green foods in order to improve our health. He’s just that kind of frog.

The first thing to mention is that green foods are not monolithic. While some generalities can be made (they all contain a fair to good amount of fiber), green foods contain their own unique nutrients that provide different health benefits as well as different tastes. Broccoli is not kale is not green beans are not pears are not avocados are not grapes etc., etc., etc. But given the title of this blog, let’s focus on the generalities of green foods rather than the specifics of individual foods that happen to be green…

Almost all green fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants which are molecules that can prevent or inhibit damage caused to our cells by free radicals. Free radicals are waste substances produced by cells as our bodies process foods and react to environmental factors.

Free radicals are produced internally. However, their production can be increased by external factors such as pollution, UV rays, cigarette smoke and other harmful chemicals. If their levels increase too much, they can cause heart disease, cancer, strokes, arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease, among other things.

To sum up: too many free radicals within our bodies can lead to life threatening conditions and antioxidants, like those contained within green foods, fight those nasty free radicals. There are literally thousands of substances that act as antioxidants, but the most common are vitamins A, C and E, lutein, beta-carotene and lycopene. Green foods rich in antioxidants include artichokes, kale, spinach, collard greens and broccoli.

Green foods contain a great deal of water which makes them very low in calories. In other words, you can eat about as much green food as your stomach and GI tract can handle and not have to worry about gaining weight.

As previously mentioned, green foods are full of fiber, which is necessary for good gut health, lowering cholesterol levels, controlling blood sugar levels, maintaining regular bowel movements and lowering your risk for colorectal cancer.

Regular consumption of greens, especially the leafy variety, can lower your mortality risk (prevent you from dying before your time, in other words). This is due to the vitamin K, magnesium, B vitamins, and calcium contained in leafy greens such as kale, collard, mustard and turnip greens, swiss chard and spinach.

Many greens also promote bone health as they contain high levels of vitamin K, calcium and magnesium which promote the production of osteocalcin, a bone building block, within our bodies. A recent study found that middle-aged women who consumed a single serving of green vegetables per day reduced their risk of hip fracture by 45%.

Green foods are also rich in phytonutrients, chemicals that help plants thrive and protect them against predators. Typical phytonutrients found in green plants include chlorophyll, lutein, and vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as a B vitamin known as folate.

These phytonutrients help your blood transport oxygen, support your immune system, promote eye health, assist bone marrow in producing red and white blood cells, helps blood clot, and repairs DNA which protects against certain cancers.

While “eating the rainbow” is always a good thing, ensure you do not forget one of the most important colors of all, green! Do it for Kermit…oh yeah, for you and your family too.