Spring Reboot
Reset Your Metabolism this Spring with one of my 14-Day Transformation Challenges!
“Spring is a true reconstructionist.” – Henry Timrod
THE SEASON OF GREENS- Good for the liver, immune system, gut and more!
Welcome to Spring, the season of greens. When you hear “leafy green vegetables,” you may think of iceberg lettuce, but the ordinary, pale lettuce in restaurant salads doesn’t always have the nutrient-dense goodness of other greens such as kale, spinach, and Swiss chard. Spring is the ideal time to introduce more power-packed vegetables into your diet. It’s nature’s time of rebirth, and the greens that grow during spring are designed to rejuvenate and cleanse your body.
This season is also my absolute favorite time to cleanse and detoxify, and I invite you to join me in my whole-food, 14-Day Transformation focusing on spring’s naturally detoxifying greens this season offers us. Find out more here!
To me, the change of seasons means I get to enjoy more fresh nutrient-dense goodness of greens such as spinach, kale, and Swiss chard. Spring is the ideal time to introduce these power-packed vegetables to your diet; it’s nature’s time of rebirth, and the greens that grow now are designed to rejuvenate and cleanse your body after the winter season of slowing down and eating warmer, heavier foods.
The list of beneficial properties offered by greens is long and includes everything from improving circulation and liver function to strengthening the immune system, clearing congestion, and promoting healthy gut flora. Greens provide a whole host of valuable nutrients, micronutrients, and phytonutrients.
Chlorophyll (found in all green vegetables) is a powerful blood builder akin to liquid oxygen! If you are trying to get pregnant, you can benefit from the high folate content in greens. And if you need to increase your calcium intake, leafy greens top milk because it doesn’t put the body into an acidic state the way dairy does. Here are some greens with significant amounts of calcium:
- cooked beet greens
- dandelion greens
- turnip greens
- kale
- collards
- parsley
- watercress
Try a variety of methods such as steaming, boiling, sautéing in oil, water sautéing, waterless cooking or lightly pickling, as in a pressed salad.
- Boiling makes greens plump and relaxed. Boil for less than a minute so that the nutrients in the greens do not get lost in the water. If you’re using organic greens, you can also drink the cooking water as a health-giving broth or tea!
- Steaming makes greens more fibrous and tight, which is great if you’re trying to lose weight. Raw salad is also a wonderful preparation for greens. It’s refreshing, cooling, and supplies live enzymes.
Get into the habit of adding the following leafy green veggies to your daily diet, and notice what happens to your energy levels, your complexion, and your waistline. If you have some garden space, why not try growing your own?
What Does the Gut Have to Do with It?
Along with the garden in your backyard, there’s also a “garden” in your gut, and it’s comprised of a complex network of trillions of microorganisms that work together to help you maintain vibrant health and achieve permanent weight loss. This is because of their influence on metabolism, appetite regulation, energy expenditure, endocrine regulation, inflammation, and insulin resistance. In fact, the influence is so strong that studies show that imbalanced gut flora contributes to obesity.
To prime your gut to work with nature and help reboot your system—and replenish your microflora, load up on leafy greens. An exciting discovery out of Australia suggests that due to an unusual sugar molecule found in them (sugar sulfoquinovose, or SQ), leafy greens are essential for feeding good gut bacteria. SQ evidently limits the ability of bad bacteria to colonize the gut by shutting them out of the prime “real estate.”
As always, I recommend you purchase ORGANIC fruit and vegetables as they are better for your health (and the health of the environment)! If it’s not in your budget to do this, consult the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list and prioritize buying organic for these fruits and veggies—they are the ones sprayed with the highest amount of pesticides.
ARE YOU READY FOR A TRANSFORMATION THIS SPRING?
As I mentioned before, in my 14-Day Transformation, you’ll shrug off the winter blues and emerge feeling as bright and fresh as the spring season itself. We’ll incorporate lots of cleansing greens discussed above, as well as lifestyle tips to jump start metabolism for the upcoming summer season.
During this 2-week experience, you’ll receive one-on-one support from me as well as 21 days of email-support, transformation guidelines and review of your health goals, my favorite recipes, shipping lists, handouts and tips relevant to your transformation. The 14-Day Transformation Foundations even includes a Wellness bag with a 14-day supply of MCT Lean Vegan Protein Blend, MCT Lean MCT Oil, and 1 box of Protein Brownie Bars to help you along with way!
Have questions? Follow me on Instagram @KarenMalkinHealth or email support@karenmalkin.com
To your good health,
Karen