Another healthy tip courtesy of Thais Harris

One of the most important positive changes we can do to nourish ourselves is adding more vegetables! Certainly there are foods we would be better off avoiding, liquids we need to consider reducing, and lifestyle changes such as exercise and meditation we can benefit from immensely. But the simplest and most direct benefit we can seek from nutrition is the addition of vegetables, both raw and cooked, and preferably organic.

Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, chard, cabbage, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are the superstars when it comes to nutrient density: they are packed with vitamin A carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K (this less popular vitamin is getting a lot of attention lately, as it has been found to help regulate inflammatory responses, and is needed for proper vitamin D function in the body), folic acid, fiber (100 calories worth of cruciferous vegetables provide between 25 to 40% of our daily fiber requirement), sulfur, manganese, and the list goes on. They are the perfect carbohydrate source, and they are alkalinizing, which counterbalances acid-forming foods such as meat and grains. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods, “the antioxidant richness of these vegetables has also been explicitly mentioned in several recent studies as one of the strong contributors to the risk-lowering impact on numerous forms of cancer.” So add at least 2 cups of these superstars each day (while aiming for a minimum of 5 cups of fruits and vegetables total) and feel the difference! Oh, and another important tip to add here: chew them thoroughly!

– Thais Harris, N.C., Nutrition & Wellness Consultant