Go for the Greens!

Celebrate the health benefits of food and beverages brimming with the power of green. Put a little magic into your day with beautiful green vegetables.

The latest research shows us the amazing health benefits of mixed salad greens, lettuce, arugula, and green bell peppers, and motivates our family to eat a big salad every day. These are items you can find in your supermarket that can add important nutritional elements to your meals. For example, romaine and red leaf lettuce, spinach, and arugula are excellent sources of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant nutrients such as carotenoids and phenolics.

The positive effects on your body start right away. For several hours after you eat a large bowl of fresh romaine lettuce, there is a significant increase in your blood of the following:

• Total antioxidant activity
• Vitamin C
• Beta-carotene
• Quercetin, an important bioflavonoid
• Phenolics

Salad is a part of breakfast in Japan and is part of the breakfasts in our book The Fat Resistance Diet. It’s as simple as adding some mixed greens or lettuce alongside your eggs in the morning. You may already be enjoying a salad with your brunch. Why not bring a little weekend flair to your midweek breakfast?

Arugula is another one of our favorite greens. This peppery green leaf, a classic part of Italian salads, has become very popular in America. Arugula contains as much calcium as milk, and the calcium in arugula is readily absorbed. It’s also a great source of bioflavonoids. With a distinctive, satisfying taste and high nutritional quality, arugula is a star of recipes in The Fat Resistance Diet. 

Green bell peppers may just be your body’s best friend. Eating green bell peppers raises the body’s level of beta-carotene and lycopene, two carotenoids that may help in the prevention of heart disease and some types of cancer.

Here’s some more good news for salad lovers: the carotenoids found in bell peppers are absorbed equally from raw or cooked peppers. Fat is essential for carotenoid absorption. For maximum benefit, always eat your salad with a dressing of olive oil or walnut oil. So enjoy your salads and go for the greens!

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This article is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice or counseling, the practice of medicine or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, the creation of a physician-patient relationship, or an endorsement, recommendation, or sponsorship of any third party product or service by the sender or the sender's affiliates, agents, employees, or service providers. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your doctor promptly.