I frequently don’t respect what a big effect my food choices have on my day-to-day energy level and outlook. It took me a while to catch on, but I’ve learned in the last few years that how I eat has a huge impact on my training. When I am eating well, I nearly always feel recovered and ready to work hard every day.
Kaitlin Quistgaard has an article about greens, Green Party, in the April 2007, Yoga Journal. It will probably be a while before it makes it to the Yoga Journal archives, but here are a few nutritious facts:
- For 18 calories, a half cup cooked Swiss Chard provides 150% of the recommended daily value for vitamin K, used by your body to maintain bone health; 55% vitamin A, important for vision and lungs; 26% vitamin C, for a healthy immune system; and is also an excellent source of iron, potassium, magnesium and fiber.
- Calcium – A half cup of cooked collards provides 179 milligrams. A cup of cooked kale 90 milligrams.
- Oxalic acid – Oxalic acid can bind with calcium and prevent your body from absorbing it. Chard, spinach and beet greens all are high in calcium and oxalic acid. Cooking them reduces the levels of oxalic acid.
- Lemon, or other foods rich in vitamins C, boost your body’s ability to absorb the iron in spinach.
- Drinking black tea with your meal inhibits iron absorption.
- Eating a little oil (as in oil and vinegar) with your greens increases absorption of carotenoids.
The article also has a couple of recipes and a few other ideas for incorporating more greens into your diet.
The World’s Healthiest Foods website maintains a list of the 130 healthiest foods with nutritional data and preparation tips.