It’s easy being Green – leafy green, that is!

For my first article, I was torn between a dozen topics. There are so many things that I have learned in my 8 year journey to a high-veg vegan lifestyle. The tough times that made me want to quit and be “normal”; my previous try as a vegetarian 20 years ago that ended with a burger and fries; raising our 4 year old son as a raw, high-veg vegan; the amazing and factual healing that I have seen this diet create in numerous people including myself and my wife; and the list goes on and on. So instead of picking one, I decided to go with something that has been of great interest to me lately and that I think could be of urgent relevance for many vegetarians and vegans – leafy greens. That doesn’t seem ground breaking by any means, does it? Well, I ask you this – do you eat at least the equivalent of 8 good sized leaves of kale each day? How does your consumption of leafy greens compare to that of grains (processed or not) including breads and pasta, soy products, fruit drinks, and nuts/seeds? If you are a leafy-green eating machine, then you are likely enjoying unbelievable health. But if you were like me and you didn’t really love leafy greens and got sick and tired of boring salads with oil and lemon on it so you started eating more and more “satisfying” but “vegan-legal”foods like bread, pasta, crackers, lots of nuts and seeds those yummy looking soy products like soy, vegan ice cream, and lots of fruit drinks, then you may not have been enjoying the long term health and vitality you expected from a veggie-based diet. But why not? Shouldn’t removing animal products that clog your intestines, litter your blood with undigested protein, and pollute your bodily fluids with acidity and toxins be enough to create optimal health? As I found out, the answer is No.

In what I consider the two most important bodies of knowledge that have led to high levels of health and vitality for myself and anyone that has worked with me, including my son, are the acid/alkaline balance (mostly addressed by Dr. Robert O. Young) and leafy greens and the anthropological reasons for its value to the human body recently publicized by Victoria Boutenko (but known for centuries). We know that leafy greens are the most alkaline and chlorophyll rich foods in existence. We also know that our closest relative, the chimp (who share 99.4% of their genes with humans), naturally eats a raw diet of 50% whole fruit, 40-45% leafy greens and 5% bark, pith and insects. There are no whole grains, pastas, soy cheeses or fruit juices in their diet. That’s basically half their food from leafy greens! They also chew their food until it is a liquid, ensuring that the cellular walls of the food are broken down for proper absorption in the small intestine.

I will write more on this topic in the future, but for now I wanted to suggest to you that eating more leafy greens could have a dramatic effect on your health and vitality. As a reality check, let me give you a quick and easy (and tasty!) recipe that you can use to try this out for at least 10 days (although a month is best) and see if it makes a difference for you. Have it for breakfast and before lunch (one batch will do for both meals). All you need is a blender (a VitaMix is best). I actually have two recipes – one for those of you that are more accustomed to a raw diet without a lot of high-sugar fruits and one for those that are not. Please use all organic, washed veggies wherever possible.

Green Monster Shake: Place 1 English Cucumber, ½ Green Pepper, 2 huge handfuls of Spinach, 2 Tbsp Flax or Hemp Seed or Udo’s Blend Oil, 1 Lemon with the skin left on (scrub it well), and 1 ripe Avocado and blend until very smooth. You will need to add some water to get the consistency you desire. Add some ice cubes at the end to cool it down.

Victoria’s Blends: Take 4 apples, ½ lemon juice, 5-7 leaves of kale and 2 cups of water and blend it until it is fully broken down. You can add some ice at the end to cool it off if you like. It tastes better than most would expect. Other combos you can try are peaches and spinach, strawberries, bananas and a bunch of romaine or pears kale and mint.

I would love to know how it goes if you decide to commit to 10 or 30 days. You won’t be disappointed. Never be sick again!

Dave.

Comment via Facebook