The Juice

TOO much of a Good Thing Does Exist-Rotate your Greens!

Posted on April 09, 2013 by Char C | 18 Comments

I adore a good green juice or green smoothie. Every day I consume my green leafys in at least one of these forms. Studies have shown however that if you consume the same leafy green in the same amount every single day the body begins to build up alkaloids; something that all leafy greens have in very small amounts. 

When you consume the exact same variety of green leafy vegetables, your body is always getting the same nutrients. Each variety of plant will give you different nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants. But it goes even further than that. You see, each plant has a self-defense mechanism to keep animals from completely devastating their favorite plant. For example, if monkeys loved spinach and decided to eat all the spinach around then the plant could not procreate and it would die out.

Nature’s system is so smart because it knows that it’s important to keep greens around (hello! most nutritious food pound for pound!). So green leafy plants actually have a minute amount of alkaloids, which act like a poison if ingested regularly. That’s where rotating your greens comes in! If you switch between different types of green plans, your body’s immune system is actually getting a boost because it is working on different alkaloids all the time.

Switch between at least 10-12 types of greens. You can have say two or three days on one green like spinach, and then two or three days on kale, then two or three days on gai lan, you get the picture. 

Greens are the most powerful healing foods out there, so it’s great to make them a staple part of your diet!

List of Greens to Get You Started

Your best bet is to go to a farmer’s market and look a the vast array of colorful greens. Pick some up, smell it, ask the farmer what it tastes like, and give it a try! If you’ve got the space and inclination, I’d highly recommend you start a garden. Plant a few of these vegetables and see which ones you like!

• Spinach

• Swiss Chard

• Kale

• Bok Choy

• Gai Lan

• Dandelion Greens

• Mustard Greens

• Carrot Tops

• Yu Choy

• Sunflower sprouts (sprouts in general)

• Romaine lettuce

• Buttercrunch lettuce

• Boston lettuce

• Arugula (Rocket)

• Collard greens

• Cabbage

• Watercress

• Purslane

• Sorrel

• Tatsoi

• Turnip Greens

• Radish Greens

• Beet Greens

• Basil leaves

• Coriander / Cilantro

• Parsley

Greens are the most powerful healing foods out there, so it’s great to make them a staple part of your diet!

Source: http://rawfoodswitch.com/fruits-vegetables-nuts-and-seeds/important-rotate-greens/

Posted in alkaloid poisoning, green juice, green smoothies, greens, health info, juice cleanse