Go green!



 One of the most important changes I have made to my diet since my breast cancer diagnosis was to include lots of dark green vegetables into my diet.  We all know by now that by including lots of green vegetables into our diet that we can help reduce the chances of developing many diseases.

Dark green leafy vegetables are known as super foods or functional foods. This is because they are rich with many nutrients and go well above an beyond just giving us energy. Yet we tend to underestimate the value or importance of dark green vegetables. Most of us do not have enough of these green vegetables in our regular diet. Leafy green vegetables are excellent source of Vitamin A, B, C, E and K. We can also have good amount of calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium from them. Last but not the least, green vegetables are great source of antioxidants and phytonutrients.  Phytonutrients and antioxidants are great for keeping our immune systems in tip top shape which is very important if you want to fight off disease and stay healthy.

You may ask 'What is a phytonutrient?'.  A phytonutrient is the chemical compound that occurs naturally in plants and is responsible for their colour.  There is evidence from laboratory studies to suggest that phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer, possibly due to dietary fibres, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects.
Part of my chemotherapy regime was to have IV taxol.  Taxol is a phytochemical initially extracted and purified from the pacific yew tree.  Nice to know that there was at least something a little natural about the chemotherapy I was taking.

So what I'm suggesting is, increase your green vegetable intake daily and don't make the mistake of thinking that this means more sloppy limp green cabbage leaves on your plate...there are heaps of amazing recipes out there if you just spend a bit of time looking...or you can just ask me where to find them!

For all you mums out there with young kids, something fun to do with your children whilst peas are in season is what I did with my son in the picture above.  Buy some fresh peas and sit down with your son/daughter and together open them up and count the number of peas in the pods.  They will inevitably end up eating some of the nice fresh raw peas which is so good for them and will in turn be learning how to count too!  What a double whamy bonus huh!?!