The Power of the Veggie

Apr 22

How to build your plate of veggies to maximize nutrition

We often hear, "eat your veggies!" While this is true and good, there's much more to it! There are three main classes of veggies, and when we thoughtfully build our meals with each group in mind, our cells, specifically our mitochondria, the powerhouse of each cell in our bodies, do a happy dance! Why? Because each class works synergistically with the others to detoxify, protect, and fuel the cells!

There is a lot of research surrounding this, but The Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls does the best job of breaking this down. I highly recommend you check it out.

The three classes include:

Leafy Greens. They help provide fiber and alkalinity to the body, which will help keep your insides clean and give you that glow from within. Greens in general are potent detoxifiers for our bodies and are full of chlorophyll, which can help increase red blood cell count and kill pathogenic yeast. They help support our nervous system (Vitamin B) and are very brain protective, helping to increase myelin production (Vitamin K), and have the perfect balance of magnesium and calcium. You want to look for greens that are darker in color like arugula, kale, collard greens, beet greens, bok choy, parsley, and spinach. They are full of chlorophyll and oxygen. Iceberg lettuce, while full of water, does not count towards your leafy green goals.
Note - I almost always recommend cooking these down in a quality saturated fat like grass fed butter, ghee, tallow, or coconut oil. Why? Because some of these guys contain anti nutrients that can be hard for the body to digest without cooking or are hard on the thyroid gland. Uncooked spinach and kale block iodine absorption, which is crucial for thyroid health.

Sulfur-Rich Veggies help nourish the cells and pull toxins out. They're also beneficial to the health of your blood vessels, producing glutathione, your body’s own form of antioxidant. They are antibacterial and antimicrobial naturally and have compounds that stimulate our natural killer cells to help protect against cancer. They support hormone balance and liver health. Vegetables found in this group include the mushroom family; cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and radishes. Last but not least, the onion family, including onions, garlic, scallions, shallots, and leeks. As noted above - I recommend cooking these in a quality saturated fat for the same reasons. They are more digestible to a compromised gut and won’t interfere with the thyroid gland.

Fruits and veggies full of color. These must be vibrantly colored all the way through. Think beets, asparagus, cherries, oranges, colored peppers, blueberries, tomatoes, watermelon, kiwi, avocados, carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and squash. Each color represents a different phytochemical that have different effects on the body. These include benefits like being anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, promoting skin health, reproductive health, antibacterial health, and immune benefits.

Ideally, we should aim to have about two to three cups of each a day. Becoming mindful of how these different vegetable categories work together to help our bodies heal and improve our energy levels will help you build a powerful plate that will work overtime for you!

Photo Credit to Beth Morgan Photography