Eat Your Greens
One of the top health concerns of many people is the decline in health as we age. Some worry about illness, some worry about fine lines or wrinkles, and some just simply worry about the prospect of getting older. When it comes to combating aging with nutrition, leafy greens are a miracle food. In fact, research has shown us that they are extremely effective in reducing your risk of certain cancers, heart disease, and diabetes. To top that off, they can improve our overall skin health, making leafy greens one of nature’s most powerful longevity foods.
However, even though research has shown the antioxidant and beneficial properties of leafy greens, 87% of Americans do not get the minimum daily recommended amounts. So, if we can just add a few more green vegetables to our diet, we might be able to reduce our risk of chronic disease and the appearance of aging.
According to Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a board-certified family physician who specializes in nutritional science, leafy greens are the most nutrient dense of all foods. These include vegetables like kale, spinach, arugula, romaine lettuce, broccoli, bok choy, brussels sprouts, or asparagus. These vegetables are packed with antioxidants, micronutrients, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals that are key to fighting cellular aging. Furthermore, green vegetables contain an important compound called glucosinolates, which some studies have shown can lengthen telomeres - a key scientific process to combat aging of cells.
It’s important to note that it is best to purchase organic green vegetables if possible. I encourage many of the people I work with to start off with just a few green vegetables a day, such as adding kale or spinach to your morning smoothie. By chewing our green vegetables or blending them into a smoothie, it makes it easier for our body to absorb these nutrients, giving our system a greater ability to remove carcinogens, reduce inflammation, and reduce cancer and overall disease risk.
Other source:
“Functional foods and their role in cancer prevention and health promotion: a comprehensive review”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5411786/