Healthy Facts

I can only handle two this week! But these are two really amazing foods that you are going to love. ENJOY them!

Swiss Chard

If swiss chard had a dollar for every nutrient it contained, it would be paying for the health care crisis. Which brings up an interesting point. Hippocrates said let food be thy medicine and thy medicine be food, or something along those lines. Which is attainable when you are eating your CSA veggies every week! And it is something to remember when you go to the doctor or are trying to treat an ailment. Food is a huge reason for many chronic illnesses and health conditions, but alternatively can be used to treat many diseases.

Healthy Facts:

• Often called the healthiest vegetable because it contains so many important nutrients. This is why - Rating system awards Swiss chard with excellent marks for its concentrations of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Swiss chard also emerges as a very good or good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, protein, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid. That’s a TON! I could spend all day talking about each of those benefits, but instead I encourage you to eat it up and feel this for yourself.
• Good for your bones - One cup contains over 300% of your daily recommended value of Vitamin K. It is necessary for cell growth and blood clotting. More recent studies are finding that Vitamin K is essential for bone development and some say even more important than calcium. Swiss chard also contains magnesium, which is also an essential ingredient for strong bones. It gives bones their structure.
• Vitamin A - Contains 109.9% of your daily recommended value of Vitamin A. The body converts the beta carotene into Vitamin A, so it is like getting two nutrients in one. Vitamin A is good for vision, lung health, immune system, and your skin. Vitamin A is sometimes called the miracle vitamin!

Parsley

I mentioned last week that cucumbers are my favorite vegetable to juice. Parsley is my favorite herb and juicing it is a really good way to get nutrients from parsley, since most of the time it is only used as a garnish and not a main ingredient. Parsley juice is very potent and can be a strong stimulant and diuretic - so don’t drink it before bed! Being so green also makes it a good blood cleanser and it is also helps with liver, bladder and kidney problems. I also would not suggest drinking it by itself or in large amounts. You can throw a little bit of it in pretty much any juice that you make, but my absolute favorite is cucumber, parsley and red grapes. Proportions can vary based on how sweet you want it. I make this for Rafi and he really likes it!

Interesting thing about parsley – in ancient times it was used to decorate tombstones. Please decorate my tombstone with parsley and swiss chard :).

Healthy Facts:

• Considered a “chemoprotective” food – Parsley contains volatile oils which are known to neutralize carcinogens (particularly from cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke) and even inhibit tumor formation.
  
• Rich in antioxidants – flavonoids combined with oxygen containing molecules help prevent oxygen-based damage. Have you heard of oxidative stress? It causes chronic illnesses and AGING. Parsley also increases your body’s ability to absorb antioxidants.
  
• 3 times as much vitamin C as oranges – more than any other herb or vegetable! This offers strong protection against rheumatoid arthritis.
  
• Great for your heart – excellent source of folic acid, which converts homocysteine into benign molecules. Homocysteine damages blood vessels and at high doses is related to heart attack and stroke.
  
  Eat your garnish!