Greens

Here's a tip for for Vegans, Vegetarians and for those whishing to lose weight, improve health and increase recovery for endurance athletes (and others well).
Make leafy green vegeatbles the foundation of at least one (or more or every) meal of the day. As a high raw vegan fruit is my main source of calories - for low fat/high calorie/nutritionaly dence meal options there is no better choice. But equally important is getting in the greens everyday. They're are essential for minierals, protein and even some essential fatty acids - all found in optimal ratios. Not to mention the cleansing and detox (as well as a replenishing effect) they have on the body. For weightloss they are a high volume food filling you up, decreasing appetite and increasing the postive effect on our metabolism. All greens are good but the general rule of (green!) thumb is the greener the better. A mixed green salad (romain,kale, spinach, beet greens, musard and collard greens)is a powerhouse of nuttition and tasty as well. Best bet is to go dressing free and allow yourself the pleasure of its natural flavor - add fruit for extra calories and a sweetening effect. Or make a dressing (food processor) with fruit (strawberries, orange, mangoes) and nuts (walnuts a great source of Omega 3's). Fresh lemon juice is always a great addition. But if you can't get it down otherwise balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of olive oil (really not the best choice for a host of reasons) will help until you can become accustome to the natural flavor of greens. Another option is a green smoothie which really allows us to consume a large amount of greens in a sweet and easy manner (bananas, 1lb of greens, 2 dates and berries are my favorite)
Here's a great video from Jenna showing the preparation of a green smoothie.


By the way Jenna mentions more benifits of greens (calcium - THE optimal source of calcium) that I failed to mention.

Thanks for reading!
Eric