Prevent Cancer and Eat Leafy Greens

Leafy greens don’t exactly come to mind when thinking of a delicious, savory meal – at least to most folks. Greens do, in fact, have a long history in providing humans with substantial nutrition that’s easy to grow and tasty to eat. Originating in the Mediterranean area from the wild cabbage, they spread the world over to provide an east-to-grow, nutritionally packed food source for many people. Greens are also delicious, and can be eaten raw, sautéed, boiled, or even baked. As such, they are easy to incorporate into a variety of meals and can be eaten regularly as a result. A diet with lots of greens is a healthy one, and will give you increased energy, and help fight off many forms of cancer.

Greens have high levels of compounds called anti-oxidants. This includes kale, Swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, some lettuces, and cabbage, as well as other. Anti-oxidants take on the form of vitami
A, vitami
C, and manganese. Kale, for example, has 260%DV vitami
A and 134%DV vitami
C in a single one cup serving.

These anti-oxidants work to suppress free radicals in the body. Free radicals damage cells by making them negatively imbalanced, stealing electrons here and there. These affected molecules then make up for this imbalance by stealing electrons from their neighbors, causing a chain reaction. When this happens over a long period of time on a large enough scale, whole cells can be damaged, causing stress, and eventually cell mutation. Cell mutation can lead to the development of cancer. Anti-oxidants actively seek out and neutralize these free radicals before they have the opportunity to make any serious damage.

Greens also have high levels of folates, which assist cells in DNA replication. When folates are found in deficient levels, DNA replication can be stressed, which can also result in mutation and cancer development. Having high levels of folates in the blood can help prevent this from occurring. A study found that high folate content in the blood resulted in a 30-40% reduced risk in all sorts of cancer. Chlorophyll – the compound responsible for photosynthesis – has also been found to work in much the same capacity. Leafy greens have high levels of chlorophyll, another added benefit of eating plenty of greens.

Eating lots of greens is easy – they can be added to almost any savory meal. The simplest way to prepare greens is to chop them finely and cook them in oil for a few minutes. The shorter they are cooked, the more nutrients they will retain, and the more they will do for your health. In this way, they can be added to pasta dishes, stir fries, or scrambled eggs with ease.

Try keeping a bunch of greens on hand at all times, and add it to your weekly grocery shopping trip. Wrap them in a plastic bag and keep them in the vegetables crisper, where they will stay fresh for around 5 days. Try all sorts of greens to vary your culinary vocabulary and nutrient intake, as each type of green has different nutritional qualities.