Friday 12 December 2014

Is leaves the most nutritious food?



Is leaves the most nutritious food?
Leaves have the highest density of micro nutrients. It contains phytochemicals, micro nutrients and fiber. Phytochemicals are nature’s magic pills or vitamin supplement. Plant foods are nutritional powerhouses. The concentration of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants is the highest per calorie in leafy vegetables. Researches show that vegetable consumption prevents chronic disease, diabetes, cancer, etc..  

Basil

Methi (fenugreek)
Our food contains macro nutrients and micro nutrients. Macro nutrients are mainly starch (carbohydrates), protein and fat. Micro nutrients are vitamins and minerals. Why we are having rapid increase in the number of cancer patients and diabetes patients recently. Over the last twenty five years we shifted our food style concentrating mainly on macro nutrient food, like rice, wheat, oil cooked foods, dairy products, baked items and meat. We ignored leaves, fruits and vegetables. We are over fed with macro nutrients and under fed with micronutrients, which is root cause of all increasing diseases: cancer, diabetes and lack of immunity.  By eating this macro nutrient oriented food, we become addicted to food. We shifted from “eat to live” to “live to eat”. We eat more food than required.  We become obese and frequently sick.
Malabar red spinach
Being a vegetarian does not mean you are saved. It is the not the quantity of food that matters. It is the quality that matters.  Pesticide free, locally grown vegetables are safer than what we get from market. See the link of video at the bottom to see the  poison content in leaf we eat in Kerala.
How can we eat leaves?
We can eat them raw in salads. We can even chew four or five leaves a day. Clean leaves first. To get maximum nutrition, chew all greens, crush all cells. When the cell walls are broken the enzymes are released to produce the nutrients.  Try different leaves rather than one to get different vitamins and minerals for the body. Eating raw gives the full nutrients. While cooking some of the nutrients get lost. Fresh way of eating is by adding them in chutney, smoothies, salad, fruit juices etc. Or cook them or add them in soups, curries etc.

coriander (cilantro)
Overcooking green vegetables causes them to lose valuable nutrients. As the vegetables steam, the water soluble nutrients are lost in cooking water. Overcooking also deactivates the beneficial enzymes. Eat leaves in moderation.
 Is SAD of USDA good?
SAD is Standard American Diet initiated by US department of Agriculture.  " The  Standard American Diet SAD causes susceptible individuals to develop diabetes. Unfortunately , most people in America are eating themselves into a premature grave. The American diet is at the core of our health care crisis and diabetics suffer even more tragic medical complications"  from the book "The End of Diabetes" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman MD.
The present Kerala food is almost the same as the American food rich in baked, fried, starchy, dairy products and red meat. It lacks enough leafy greens and  vegetables. 
Which are the main edible leaves in India?

Beets
1)Mustard greens or cruciferous vegetables, 2) herbs, 3) Others like beans etc. are edible.

1)Mustard greens or Cruciferous vegetables are from the mustard family or called mustard greens. They are mustard, kale, arugula, cabbage, broccoli , Brussel sprouts, Bok Choy,  turnip green,  etc
2)Herbs include, coriander, mint, panikoorka, mustard, fenugreek (methi), curry leaves, tulsi etc
3)Others : moringa, beans, spinach,Swiss chard or beats, pumpkin leaves, pumpkin flowers etc

We are what we eat. We hold the key to prevent diseases. There is no magic in this world. Health means Positive mind, Nutritious food and Exercise. What we sow we harvest. Heath is the same. Today is our day. What we do today determines our health tomorrow. We can live a happy and healthy lifeJoin the bandwagon of millions of people who don't have much  diseases. Knowledge is power. Share knowledge to others too.


See, how good is the leaf we get in the market. click the bottom.URL
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152784109384210&set=vb.164670459209&type=2&theater

Source: Books on Ayurveda , Nutrition , Research reports.



Broccoli
curry leaves

Cabbage
Tulsi



Kale


Swiss chard

Keerai

Keerai

Mint

Moringa

Mustard


Panikoorka

Parsley



No comments:

Post a Comment