New Year New You Challenge #2: Think Green

Week Two: January 11, 2010

Challenge: Think Green in Your Food Choices

This week, we’ll take a look at your diet.  One thing to keep in mind during your second week into the New Year is to maintain the challenge from week one.  As you begin to make healthy changes to your diet, it is important to still make the time, 30 minutes a day, or every other day, to get your heart rate up and your feet moving!

We are constantly begin told to “think green” when it comes to conserving energy.  In a similar regard, when we “think green” with respect to vegetables and fruits, these particular food items bring “energy” into our bodies when ingested.

Challenge yourself to incorporate more green vegetables and fruits on a weekly basis, starting right here, each day, for the next 7 days:

            MONDAY: SPINACH

When you choose the base of your salad, always keep in mind, ‘the greener the better’!  Yes, romaine provides more nutrients compared with looseleaf, followed by butterhead and iceberg lettuces, but think GREENER! Choosing spinach as your salad base will bring to your diet twice as much fibre than most other greens, amongst many other nutrient highlights!  High in antioxidants (lutein, carotenes, falvonoids), other fundamental nutrients spinach contains include folate, Vitamin K, C iron and magnesium, just to name a few!  If raw in a salad is not how you would like to enjoy this vegetable, add a portion to your favourite pasta dish, stir fry, or as a side dish, blanched with a small amount of oil, garlic, onion and mushrooms! 

            TUESDAY: BROCCOLI

Low in calories, broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense foods for an individual serving.  Not only does it provide your body with Vitamins C, A and K, folic acid and fibre, it also acts as a source of protein without a large amount of calories consumed!  Whether you decide to enjoy your broccoli raw with a small amount of hummus, lightly blanched or sautéed with a sprinkle of lemon juice, or chopped up in an omelette or your favourite tomato sauce, bring energy to your day with a 100-gram serving of broccoli today! 

            WEDNESDAY: GREEN TEA

The higher amount of polyphenols found in green tea make it a better choice over black tea or coffee.  Give yourself a morning or mid-day boost with a cup of green tea today!  Many varieties exist amongst the green tea family, so try out a few different flavours until you find the one you can incorporate on a daily basis, to bring energy and a fresh mindset to your day! 

            THURSDAY: BARTLETT PEAR

Sweeten your day with a medium-sized Bartlett pear, which will not only provide your body with a good source or fibre, vitamins C, B2 and E and potassium, but also give you that sweet tooth satiety bite.  The fibre content in pears is actually higher than that in apples, which in turn, helps in lowering cholesterol levels and keeps your bowels moving! 

            FRIDAY: CABBAGE: Green or Bok Choy          

Make a cabbage salad to go alongside a fresh piece of salmon, or pair your main dish with Bok Choy, also known as Chinese cabbage.  Green cabbage ranges in colour from pale to dark green.  A serving provides your body with few calories, but many nutrients such as vitamins C and B6, potassium, folic acid, calcium and magnesium to name a few, and most importantly, glucosinates, an anticancer phytochemical compound.  The nutrient profile of bok choy includes vitamins A, C and K, folate as well as vitamin D which helps in the absorption of calcium-containing foods as well. 

            SATURDAY: AVOCADO

On another side of the fruit scale are avocados, requiring a little more attention when including a portion of this food in your diet.  There is a higher fat content associated with avocados, HOWEVER, this is the monounsaturated fat, or the “healthy fat” which many studies have shown to help lower cholesterol levels.  PORTION is key when enjoying avocado in your sandwich, on top of your salad, or as guacamole, keeping in mind that 1/6^th of an avocado is considered a portion of this fruit.

            SUNDAY: KALE, RAPINI or SWISS CHARD      

Plan on making a hearty pot of your favourite minestrone soup on Sunday, adding in a head of kale, rapini or swiss chard.  These bright green leafy vegetables will add a punch of colour to your dish, warming you up on the inside with all of their beneficial properties! Calcium, iron, fibre, vitamin C and the B-vitamins are just some of the nutritional benefits highlighted amongst these vegetables, and incorporating them in your Sunday meal guarantees to leave you satisfied and ready to take on the following week!