I think we’re all familiar with the Calvin & Hobbes dinner table scenes…the discussion is usually about some unidentifiable pile of green “stuff”. My personal favorite is when Calvin’s dad tells him that the green stuff will turn him into a mutant, and so Calvin cheerfully scarfs them down and declares that its working (if I’m in the right mood this one will have me rolling on the floor)
Why the fuss about greens?
We have explored 1 through 4 of the Top 10 Immunity Boosters, as per the GAPS Protocol by Dr. McBride. Today we’re going to talk about #5 – How to boost your immune system with greens.
Why are greens good?
The leafy greens are probably the richest in nutrients of any foods in the vegetable kingdom. Dr. Elson Haas, author of Staying Healthy With Nutrition
For starters, greens balance out the healthy animal foods, like grassfed meats, organ meats, eggs, & raw dairy. Greens are cleansing foods, while animal foods are nourishing foods.
Greens are great detoxers, which is important for our immune system, and every cell in our bodies.
They are also:
- Full of vitamins
- Full of minerals
- Full of chlorophyll, the compound responsible for harnessing the sun’s energy into food & energy for the plant.
- Full of enzymes (if raw or enhanced by fermentation)
- Full of phytonutrients
What are phytonutrients?
Phytonutrients are plant chemicals developed by the plants to protect themselves from various pests, such as insects, animals, and UV rays…and if we eat these phytonutrients they protect us as well. Phytonutrients outnumber traditional nutrients (like vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates & fats) 10,000 to 1. There are thousands of them, hundreds of them are responsible for the color in our food alone. Phytonutrients give us our food experience, they are responsible for the color, smell, and taste of our food. The phytonutrient chlorophyll harnesses the energy of the sun and turns it into chemical energy, as well as giving the plant its green pigment.
Phytonutrients families:
- Flavanoids
- Alkaloids
- Tannins
- Terpenoids
- Phenylpropanoids
- Glycosides
- Sulphur compounds
Phytonutrient can be:
- Antioxidant
- Antibiotic
- Antiviral
- Cancer preventative
- Anti-inflammatory
- Tissue protective
- Immunosupportive
- Immune stimulating
And they give our food their colors, tastes & smells.
For the rest of this post about greens head over to The Healthy Home Economist. I’ll see you there!
