MATC Matters

In addition to the regular festivities surrounding St. Patrick’s Day this month, consider adding a new tradition - more green foods to your diet.

“Green foods across the board are healthy in terms of their vitamin, mineral, water and antioxidant content, and St Patrick’s Day is the perfect time to think about how you can incorporate more of them into your diet,” says Erica Wald, a Registered Dietician, with the MFit Health Promotion Division at the University of Michigan Health System.

The key, she says, is variety.

“You want to incorporate lots of different intensities of green all the various colors of green,” she says. “The more varied the colors, the more varied your vitamin and mineral intake.”

Wald also says that preparing them in a variety of ways, such as putting them in soups, stews and casseroles, even serving them raw, are great ways to incorporate more greens into your diet.

The following are Wald’s seven healthy and delicious tips for eating green for your health:

1. Increase fiber with broccoli. Broccoli provides many health benefits, including both soluble and insoluble fiber; vitamins A, C and E (important antioxidants for staving off cellular damage from free‑radicals); vitamin K for bone health; and a special antioxidant called sulforaphane, known for its powerful anticancer properties.
2. Vary your leafy greens. Wald says it’s important to remember that leafy green vegetables, such as lettuces, come in varying shades of green. The lighter the green, the less vitamins and minerals they contain. The darker the green, the higher the concentration of vitamins and minerals they contain, such as A, C and folate, which is good for preventing birth defects. Spinach, a dark leafy green, contains lutein which is good for eye health. Collard greens also contain sulforaphane and beta carotene.
3. Choose vitamin K for increased bone health. While vitamin K isn’t a substitute for a good source of calcium, Wald says, eating green vegetables high in vitamin K is good for bone health. Choose vegetables like asparagus, green/herbal teas, spinach, kale, turnip, collard and mustard greens, broccoli, cabbage, endive and brussel sprouts.
4. Improve cholesterol with avocado. According to Wald, avocado is a good source of monounsaturated fats, which can help lower your cholesterol. It’s also a good source of vitamin E. Consider tossing your dark‑green, leafy salad with a few slices of fresh avocado and balsamic vinegar for added benefit.