The best vegetables to eat....

Today's Post:  Thursday, 7-17-2014

1.  Why eat a lot of vegetables in the first place:

a) We’ve posted recently that people who eat 6 servings of vegetables a day of vegetables have a 42% lower chance of dying of any cause than people who don’t.

The reduction of heart disease and cancers account for most of that reduction.

b)  And, Dr Terry Wahls added some animal proteins from naturally fed animals and wild caught fish and a bit of seaweed to that many servings a day of vegetables and some whole fresh fruit.

She found this diet so protective, that she literally went from being unable to work and in a wheel chair and not able to walk due to MS to going hiking and resuming work.

c)  Dr Weston Price found several cultures still eating their native diets that were in superb health—and dental health.  (He was a dentist.) There was some variation due to differences in what foods were locally available to each culture; but the healthy ones ate a locally adapted version of the diet Dr Wahls has found so protective!

2.  What vegetables are best:

(We’ve pasted together here several kinds from several sources here to give you ideas.

By all means eat the ones you already know and like more often; and try some of the others; and add some variation to go with your favorites you like to have often.)

Dr Wahls’ protocol is a bit too much for many people.  But the more you can do and the closer you can approach it and more harmful foods and drinks you  remove to make room for it, the healthier and longer lived you will be.

Combining 3 or 4 vegetables at a time into a VitaMix drink is one way people have found to make this doable in practice.  (Two or three vegetables and one fruit or add a bit of ginger and these blends can actually taste good!)

a)  Here are her three parts to her basic protocol with some readily available kinds. 

For many of them it’s critical to only eat it if you can get it organic.  And, though other places do OK, I’ve found Whole Foods does this best and for more kinds of produce.

3  cups of leafy greens

Chard, Collard Greens, Kale, Parsley are some of the best.

3 cups of colorful vegetables and fruits 

Broccoli, Artichoke hearts, green cabbage,  green bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes and yams, Red Kale, red cabbage, pumpkin puree.

Kiwifruit, raspberries, strawberries, red grapes/blueberries, blackberries, plums, raisins, figs, lemons, organges, peaches, and nectarines

3 cups of sulfur rich vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables:  broccoli, red & green cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Napa or Chinese cabbage, kale;

Known to be safe mushrooms;

Onions and garlic & related foods such as leeks and green onions.

b) Best vegetables listed in an email from Steve and Becky Holman as best for you based on a list of the best vegetable created by Researchers at the University of Wayne based on the nutrient density, "considering 17 nutrients generally understood to be important to public health, like potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamins."

The winner--drum roll please--watercress. Say what? Yep, the leafy green with that tangy taste.

Here are the top 3: 1) watercress, 2) Chinese cabbage, 3) chard,

Kale was #15 and broccoli #19.

They noted that some specific vegetables on the list can fight abdominal fat. How? 

(The cruciferous vegetables best help clean out the estrogen mimics in our diet of chemical residues we ingest that tend to cause fat to be over-deposited.)

Of course all of them that are fat free and eaten by themselves or with others like them are filling and very, very low in calories.

Simply eat LOTS of those and do include but go just a bit easy on the health OK protein foods and the health OK fats oils and foods containing them for best fat loss results. 

From this Wayne University list:

1.  Watercress   Bit too spicy for my taste; and you'd need to use a lot as it has little leaves. Reported to be an excellent anticancer food however. 

2.  Chinese cabbage if it's as mild as it looks; and it is available in big amounts, it may be a winner!

3.  Chard is milder tasting than Kale and collard greens & if that good for you too, is a definite winner!

From other lists:

1.  Kale   The big winner on most lists.

2.  Collard greens  Similar to kale.

3.  Broccoli   Strong anticancer effects in more than one way AND carotenes too.  Easy to find and best known. Raw & lightly steamed work best for anticancer.  Lightly steamed or sauteed with olive oil for carotenes works best.

4.  Red cabbage  Easy to find, cruciferous, and colorful, not too harsh

5.  Green cabbage Easy to find, not too harsh

6.  Brussels Sprouts  Often available and not too harsh, Vitamix makes much easier to fix.

7.  Cauliflower  Milder and one of few white ones and as good at anticancer as broccoli or better

8.  Cilantro   Removes harmful metals if you eat it often. Can add a nice green color and flavor.

1.  Daikon Radish is a mild radish that is a great pasta substitute as it can be make into pasta like strips.

2.  Horseradish is dreadfully harsh but used right as a spice in small amounts, it may be the best anticancer one.

3.  Basil Tastes great and has some ursolic acid which has some anticancer and anabolic effects with no steroids in it!

4.  Oregano   Can be part of a good taste blend and besides some ursolic acid is anti viral and antibiotic!

1.  Turmeric  May be the real number one as it fights heart disease and cancer and Alzheimer's too!

2.  Ginger  Better tasting cousin to Turmeric that also cuts nausea when needed.

1.  Carrots Highest in ALPHA carotene and has hundreds more carotenes!

2.  Onions  Can taste good when well used and anticancer and some heart disease protection

3.  Garlic  Great heart disease protection and can taste great and anticancer effects too.

(Available "deodorized" as an effective heart protective supplement.  And, for most flavor and most heart protective effects minced fresh garlic works best.) 

4.  Celery Can help lower high blood pressure.

3 superfoods are used as vegetables; but two are technically fruits and one is a fungus.

1.  Avocados  Heart healthy fat AND proven protective effects plus a multivitamin in one food!

2.  Tomatoes  Super food for heart disease and anticancer plus good both raw AND cooked --

                        works best for nutrition when combined with extra virgin olive oil or avocado.

3.  Mushrooms   Mild, filling, some protein, anticancer, and immune system boosting + B2 source

1.  Green bell peppers high in vitamin C  Can be eaten both cooked and raw.  Can be used as a container for other foods both ways besides that -- to avoid needing to use a grain based container such as a taco or tortilla or piece of bread.

2.  Hot peppers can help boost metabolism for fat loss effects, high in vitamin C, can add flavor when used to the taste of the person eating them, AND can help prevent bronchitis in people with viral or bacterial lung infections.

And, these work well for colorful vegetables high in mixed carotenes:

1.  Garnet yams  Best color and the most carotenes and flavor

2.  Sweet Potatoes  Well prepared still very high in carotenes

3.  Pumpkin puree   Comes in cans but comparable to red yams for flavor and carotenes

4.  Acorn squash

5.  Zucchini

6.  Winter and summer small squash