Did you know that our ancient ancestors ate several pounds of leafy greens every day? Since our biochemistry is dependent on our genetics and our genes are still very similar to our paleo-ancestors, it follows that we should be including lots of greens in our diets as well.
Dark greens, like Kale, Collards, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Dandelion, and Spinach are superfoods and are essential to good health. They are filled with anti-aging, anti-inflammatory micronutrients such as beta carotene, lutein, xeaxathin, folate, vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acids. To name just a few health benefits: they keep our mitochondria-filled brain cells healthy, help us detoxify the environmental contaminants we may take in, and boost our immune systems.
For healthy people, I recommend eating a large portion (3 cups raw, chopped or 1 cup cooked) on most days of the week.
See the recipe section for the Ceasar Dressing to go on chopped Collards and Kale and the Greenberry Smoothie–two enjoyable ways to get in your greens.
Greens are super easy to grow.
I grow Kale and Collards in my backyard garden in Park City, Utah. Both are extremely hardy. Not only do they thrive in the short growing season, but they survive the harsh winter under my coldframes, reseed themselves, and new plants push through my rocky clay soil coming up again in the spring. Below are a few photos of my backyard greens, one shows Kale that reseeded itself in my hard-packed clay soil and the other shows my greens covered with coldframes to extend the season. These coldframes are pop-up and easy to install. They are manufactured by flowerhouses.com. Try shopping around as the prices vary quite a bit from different merchants.