greens, greens, greeeeeeens

the journey of coming into my 'doctorness' involves a large amount of turning inward, and doing much more of that self discovery stuff that, to me, really lasts a life-time.  i would like to share one of those things i've been contemplating, what my potential 'go to' puzzle solver might be when i am practicing (many, many years from now...).  

many of my doctor-professors commonly refer to cases/patients in their past and their treatment plans.  i've noticed a trend lately, in that nearly all of them have a certain question they ask the patient that sheds light on what might be the underlying cause of whatever the symptoms are their past patient was experiencing.  for one, it is travel.  she often links any digestive or neurotransmitter imbalance to whether or not her patients have been exposed to 'critters', as she calls them.  another is gluten.  most certainly a common topic both around school, as well as the media and community here in portland, so one that likely deserves its own post.  

in recognizing this trend, i soon embarked on my own inward journey as to how it resonated to me.  at first, i felt these doctors were expressing a little bit of reliance, more of less, on this certain indicator of some kind of pathology.  as i thought more, i started to consider what i feel is very important to health, and something that i passionately feel is a strong contributor to health and wellbeing.  nearly instantaneously i knew: greens! 

so enough about this journey, i want to share some cool stuff about this super important health thing!  greens are literally defined, by me, as ANY green vegetable.  there are certainly varying degrees of health benefits from these medicinal foods that are so common in the world.  a good rule of thumb to apply, is the darker shade of green, the more health benefits.  dark colored kale, swiss chard, or spinach often carry more vitamins and minerals than peas, green beans or green bell peppers.  some of my personal favorites are the leafy greens: spinach, kale, chard, collards, celery, cilantro and broccoli.  here are some of the vitamins/minerals provided by the darker colored greens: 

vitamin A, C, K, B12 

iron 

follate 

calcium 

manganese 

most greens carry at least 5 of these vitamins/minerals.  my personal goal and proposal to you, is to try to make at least 1 meal a day centered around this food category.  if you're wondering what i mean exactly, here are some examples: 

want a burger?  make your meat/boca/turkey burger, wrap it in a large romaine leaf, chard leaf or kale leaf 

craving something warm and saucy?  chop up some kale (stems removed of course). saute with some EVOO and minced garlic, then top with marinara sauce -- maybe even one without sugar as an ingredient! 

warm with the start of some summer weather?  its salad season!  spinach salads with garbanzo beans, any veggies in the fridge and some avocado OR chop up some of that yummy kale with no more stems, toss that with your romaine lettuce for some variation of texture and again, add any other veggies/meat you'd like 

tired and feel like sitting on the couch, picking up the tele and ordering a pizza?  muster the energy to jump in the kitchen, cut up 2 heads of broccoli, toss in the steamer.  steam.  once steamed, drizzle EVOO, sliced avocado and whatever spices sound like they'll spice you up (should total 7 minutes - from start to dishes finished!) 

thirsty?  try tossing some spinach in your homemade, frozen fruit smoothies! 

out to dinner?  considering adding that side salad and maybe taking a portion of your entree home, for lunch the next day with some added steamed kale or spinach - 2 meals for the price of one! 

i hope you're starting to see that the options can really be endless.  trying to incorporate at least 1, if not all your meals around a dark green, can be so beneficial for your body.  the amount of work the body does daily for things we think so simple, or don't even consider - such as temperature control, proprioception, digestion, metabolism, etc. etc. etc. NEEDS the vast amount of minerals and vitamins that are delivered from such foods as greens.  

give it a try!  and remember, you are what you eat! (especially now, its no secret i am a spinach leaf) 

...an organic spinach leaf that is - just a reminder to choose, buy and eat ORGANIC. 

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." 
— Michael Pollan (In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto)

its been a long time coming

well, my attempt at a regular blog didn't go too well.  but that's great, because now i get the excitement of feeling like i'm starting a new one!  there have been a lot of changes in my life in the last few months.  noticing that i haven't written since october (!), so much has progressed.  i began my studies at the national college of natural medicine and am constantly, every single day, blown away at the intelligence of the human body and the incredible power this medicine has.  i've still been blessed with the privilege of teaching yoga classes regularly, but with spending more time with school, my time for practicing has definitely been depleted.  like i said, its been a transition! 
another huge change, especially for those of you you have known me for a while, is that i recently began eating meat again.  it had been something like 14 years since i had eaten any red meat, and a little over 2 years since i'd eaten poultry.  it was a very weird thing, and it still kind of is.  i always believed in and wanted to be vegetarian, but sometimes what we think is working and what is best is just not.  sitting in with my beloved naturopath, she simply exclaimed that in her many years of being in medicine, the healthiest people, those with the least 'random' ailments, were her "meat and potato people".  this was so interesting to me, as i had always thought the exact opposite.  i did more research on it and decided that i might as well give it a try.  id been veg for so many years that i was somewhat interested in seeing and exploring how my body would respond.  
to my utter and complete surprise, the response has been so positive.  i have so much more energy.  i get full after i eat and am eating less during the day.  the biggest shift for me was during my runs - i don't feel like i'm dying!  okay, it wasn't that bad before, but i do feel astronomically better.  luckily, here in pdx there is such an abundance of local farms, we are able to get healthy raised, local meat very easily.  
this brings me to my next change!  nate and i joined a coop a few months ago!  we pick up a box of fresh veggies every tuesday from a warehouse just across the bridge from my school.  lately, its been an abundance of greens (spinach, asparagus, kale), beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes.  they also work with bulk distributers so we can also get nuts and grains from them at a much cheaper price than the grocery store.  and meat!  they work with a number of local farms to provide good, well raised cows and chicks.  
lately, i have been so, so, so enjoying the spring.  the days the sun is out in full force today, portlanders too, are out in full force, full of smiles and sweat from bike riding everywhere.  its a beautiful thing.  
thinking back on my goal for this blog - to share inspiration for living with abundant love, i can say that i still feel that very same way.  one thing i've been contemplating lately is how precious this life is.  each and every moment that we live is the only one of those very moments we get.  this body, this is the only one we get.  it is the only thing we really have.  and with my studies, learning the VAST work that goes on inside the body just for simple, daily living, truly blows my mind and has made me re-evaluate what is really important.  
perhaps you too, can feel more and more connected to you, to what you experience in each and every moment.  being present standing on your own two feet.  


~ "Life is available only in the present. That is why we should walk in such a way that every step can bring us to the here and the now." ~ Thich Nhat Hanh