Between green smoothies and colorful salads, green foods seem to be in a league of their own as a healthy choice. It’s a choice that many of us envision our best selves making on a regular basis. What is it about green foods that make it such an important part of a balanced diet?
To start, the majority of potassium in our diet comes from fresh greens. They’re high in vitamins A, C and E, plus they are a great source of phytonutrients—compounds that protect and boost your immune system. No need to hold back—add to meals and snacks with abundance as green foods are naturally low in calories and free of saturated fats and cholesterol.
- Broccoli: This vegetable supports the liver by stimulating bile flow into the digestive tract. Bile helps the body to detoxify and digest fats.
- Brussels sprouts: This cruciferous veggie supports the phases of liver detoxification. Packed full of soluble and insoluble fiber, it helps fight disease and keeps you feeling fuller longer.
- Cabbage: Another cruciferous veggie low in calories and high in nutrients, cabbage provides a good source of glutathione, powerful antioxidants, and acts as a liver protector as well as helps expel toxins from the liver.
- Green tea: Richer in antioxidants than white and black tea, green tea can boost your metabolism and help your body burn extra calories per day.
- Powder greens: Made from ingredients like spirulina, kelp, alfalfa, wheatgrass and barley, a scoop of greens added to smoothies or juices offers nutrient-rich health benefits that may protect you from disease and help restore the body’s natural pH balance.
- Wheatgrass: Commonly found in powder form, it improves bile movement, may help lower triglycerides, and provides prebiotic fibers that boost healthy bacteria production. Fresh wheatgrass is now available at our juice bars in Sprouts stores.
- Mixed greens: An easy and convenient way to make salad, mixed greens can be found in store packaged plastic bags, “clamshells,” and loosely in bulk. A darker mix contains more antioxidants and nutrients than the lighter-colored varieties.
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