Best vegetables for health and fatloss….

Today's Post:  Thursday, 3-5-2015

1.  The best organic vegetables combine astounding health benefits with few calories and a very good to high level of fiber.

2.  People who eat or drink as Vitamix drinks 9 or 10 of a variety of these organic vegetables each day get astounding health benefits from cutting their risk of dying by 43% from any cause or far more with much of that by cutting heart disease and stroke and cancer.  (Even eating six or more organic vegetables a day is very, very effective.)

People who do this also get longer telomeres and begin to look visibly younger. 

If they also stop all harmful foods and drinks including all grains and soft drinks and don’t smoke –

and eat some beans and lentils and wild caught fish not high in mercury and a bit of organ meats such as liver from grass or pasture fed cows or poultry and include seaweed,

-- and, some health OK fats and oils in moderation from extra virgin olive oil to organic coconut oil, to butter from grass fed cows,

these health effects are far greater. 

In fact, doing so has stopped to reversed MS and may also stop other auto-immune diseases as well! 

3.  And, if they also gradually build up to doing 5 to 30 minutes a day of vigorous exercise most days of every week -- not only are the health benefits greater such as even less heart disease and even slower aging and far less chance of any kind of mental decline,

by staying with these eating upgrades and that kind of exercise as a consistent life style,

except for a small minority of people who need extra help, the vast majority of people can lose fat  with no excessive hunger or triggering the failsafe famine response.

It’s the path to reliable and permanent fatloss!

a) In part one, we list the surprisingly large list of the best organic vegetables.

b) Then, in part two,

we also list the surprisingly large list of

                      why these vegetables create or protect your health!

 Part one is from my related post on July7, 2014:

” 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 [Dr Terry Wahl’s] 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 [Even one serving a day of one of these, if organic, is massively protective from both kinds of strokes.]

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! [3-5-2015 Bok Choy looks similar and is a bit harder to find; but ranks even higher than Chinese Cabbage.]

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 sautéed 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.

[ These work decently when diced and, cut in half and lightly sautéed until just barely browned on the bottom but NOT any longer give these a nutty flavor. 

Warning cooking any cruciferous vegetables too long creates a harsh sulfurous smell and flavor.]

7.  Cauliflower  Milder and one of few white ones and as good at anticancer as broccoli or better [--  particularly when you eat the raw florets or eat them diced.]

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.  [Wasabi is similar; but is a slightly different super intense cruciferous vegetable with VERY strong anti-cancer effects.  Both of these in the correct amounts are good health OK substitutes in mustard and ketchup for the dreadfully harmful and fattening MSG.]

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!

[Other spices and the related plants include these.]  [I just added this underlining and bolding.]

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

[Turmeric is also known to be much more bioavailable and protective when taken or used with black pepper.]

2.  Ginger  Better tasting cousin to Turmeric that also cuts nausea when needed. [Available both fresh and you use small bits of sliced ginger AND is available ground as a spice.]

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.

[Diced while raw or lightly sautéed with extra virgin olive oil both work well.]

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.

[Beets when diced and raw spinach leaves also do this well.  And powdered and freeze dried beets are available as supplements.  In addition besides lowering high blood pressure, the increased blood flow makes BOTH cardio and strength training work better!]

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 

Part two is the huge number of reasons these organic vegetables protect your health from an email I sent a nutritionist I know:

This is from an email I sent to a nutritionist I know adding several points to a well done article that has reasons why eating organic vegetables protect your health so well.

‘Decent article and two women who wrote it you might want to meet or connect with on Linkedin that I thought you might like.

I've added some comments before their article.

Dave

1.  6 to 10 total servings of vegetables a day is more health protective and fat loss aiding than

2.5 to 5.  But 2.5 to 5 is surely better than zero or one!  

(Eating 6 to 10 A DAY has been documented to cut the death rate from all causes by at least 43%.  And, most of that, 24% of the 43% is by directly cutting the death rate from heart disease!)

2.  They left out that most greens and beets are high in dietary nitrates that release nitric oxide to improve endothelial health and prevent or lower high blood pressure by relaxing the blood vessels.

3.  They left out that greens are high in magnesium which helps keep blood pressure down and helps build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis. Magnesium also has dozens of other health benefits if you get enough every day.

4.  And, they left out vitamin K1 and its benefits.

5.  They left out that cruciferous vegetables and the mixed hundreds of carotenes in many dark green, yellow, and orange vegetables prevent cancer.

6.  And, they left out folate that may be the best antiaging substance known since it causes your telomeres to rebuild and thus slow aging! [Folate from foods is much more protective than the supplement form, folic acid which also has some benefits.]

That said, they have many things in what they do say that are valuable to know that were new to me -

AND, they give examples of food tips they give their clients which made me think to send this to you.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/jared-bunch-rhythm-of-life/nuts-that-cut-your-heart-disease-risk/?pos=1&xid=nl_EverydayHealthManagingDiabetes_20150211

“Eat Your Veggies and More Heart Healthy Tips From the Nutrition Twins

By Tammy Lakatos Shames and Elysse Lakatos, The Nutrition Twins

If the thought of getting heart disease puts you a little on edge and gets your heart beating a little faster, we understand. After all, heart disease is the No.1 killer in the United States — and that’s enough to raise anyone’s blood pressure.

But there’s great news — eating the right veggies may improve heart health by lowering cholesterol, reducing blood pressure and decreasing inflammation in the arteries. 

And more good news — by focusing on the foods that you should eat more of, you’ll automatically eat less of the bad stuff that could lead to heart disease, like butter, processed meats, fatty red meats, and baked goods that contain artery-clogging hydrogenated oils. [Butter from 100% grass fed cows in moderation is actually now known to be OK.]

A heart-healthy diet includes at least 2.5 cups of cooked veggies each day or 5 cups of raw, leafy veggies. 

Although this may sound like a lot, the key is to mix your veggies right into your meal so you’ll eat less of the heavy stuff without even realizing that you’re filling your stomach with heart-protective veggies and meeting your daily quota to boot. 

Our clients eat this way and find they easily eat more than the minimum veggie recommendations. Eat this way too and you’ll get plenty of protective nutrients.

Heart-Protective Nutrients

Potassium counterbalances sodium and the damage it causes by helping to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Potassium also helps to flush sodium out of the body and keep your blood vessels more elastic and pliable. [That part I'd not yet heard.]

Good sources are crimini mushrooms, spinach and swiss chard. 

These veggies are all great in omelets, sandwiches and soups.

Try this Super Easy Spinach Pomodoro. Defrost a box of frozen spinach, mix in 3/4 cup of marinara sauce and a few teaspoons of grated parmesan cheese — and voila!

Phytonutrients protect the heart, keep inflammation at bay, repair damaged cells, help build our immune systems, and act as antioxidants. Of course, this means they help protect the cardiovascular system, so we certainly heart our phytonutrients.

Most veggies are a good source. Variety is the key since each veggie contains different phytonutrients that can tackle different types of damage in our bodies. 

As healthy as broccoli is, don’t eat it only because you’re used to it.

Get out there and experiment — add purple cabbage to add dimension to your salad, bell peppers to sweeten your panini and snow peas to add crunch to your tuna sandwich.

B Vitamins help lower homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood that may promote fatty deposits in blood cells.

Leafy greens are high in vitamin B. Aim to eat them daily. 

If you’re bored with the same mixed green salad, switch things up by choosing romaine lettuce, Boston red leaf, spinach leaves or arugula.

Trying to cut calories? Replace the bread on your sandwich or wrap (or even half of the bread) with several large leaves of your fave leafy greens. Lettuce wraps are delicious on tuna and egg salad.

Fiber lowers cholesterol levels. Although soluble fiber is more effective at lowering cholesterol (it pulls the bad cholesterol right out of your body!), both soluble fiber and insoluble fiber are good for your health, and most vegetables contain some of each.

Good sources are broccoli, Brussels sprouts, celery, carrots, cucumbers, beans, dry peas, artichokes, parsnips, sweet potatoes and turnips.

Added bonus: Double your fiber intake and you’ll actually absorb 90-130 fewer calories each day—that translates into an 8-10 pound weight loss over the next year!  [I added this bolding.]

And of Course, Garlic, which can lower triglycerides and total cholesterol by as much as 5 – 15 percent. But garlic’s biggest asset is its unique set of sulfur-containing compounds that protect blood cells and blood vessels from inflammatory and oxidative stress. [I added this bolding. I also found adding  more closer to 1200 mg a day of the deodorized garlic supplement lowered my LDL cholesterol from 73 to 59!]

Tip: After chopping or crushing garlic, allow it to sit for 5 minutes before cooking it to so its phytonutrient allicin can convert to the health and heart superstar allicin.  Roast garlic with veggies or in a little olive oil and spread it on your bread in lieu of butter. 

[Butter from 100% grass fed cows in moderation is actually now known to be OK. But they are right in that almost always using extra virgin olive oil is more protective.]

[Found by personal experience and my before and after blood tests that 3 or 4 300 mg deodorized garlic capsules plus in my case over 2,000 mg of vitamin C is extremely effective at cutting triglycerides and LDL which means it's proven to be that heart and blood vessel protective.]

Tammy Lakatos Shames and Elysse Lakatos, The Nutrition Twins, are nationally recognized registered dietitians and personal trainers with 15 years experience helping clients boost their energy naturally, get healthier, happier and into tip-top shape. Their latest book, The Nutrition Twins’ Veggie Cure, was released in January 2014.

The summary of this post is that eating a lot of different kinds of the most protective and organically grown vegetables every day is hugely protective for your health AND helps people achieve permanent fat loss without hunger.

Summary:

There are a huge number and kinds of unusually protective vegetables that work!

Eating a lot of different kinds of the most protective and organically grown vegetables every day--  enables you to live decades more of healthy life with all or almost all of your abilities intact! 

And, eating a lot of different kinds of the most protective and organically grown vegetables every day --

enables you to be free of excess body fat in the vast majority of cases too.