Podcast Episode 11 – Immunity – ‘G’ in G-BOMBS

Shonda (00:00): G-BOMBS is an acronym that you can use to remember the best anti-cancer health promoting foods on the planet. These are the foods that you should eat every day, making up a significant proportion of your diet. They're extremely effective at preventing chronic disease, including cancer and promoting health and longevity. That's a quote from Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Today, we will be focusing on the G in G bombs, which stands for greens.

Shonda and Patryce (00:44): Hi and hello. Welcome to the real food and drinks lifestyle podcast. We're building a community to talk about nutrition, lifestyle choices, and just feeling better. This is Shonda, and this is Patryce. Let's just be real. Here's our disclaimer. We do not officially practice in any of the various subjects that we discuss. We are only sharing our personal experiences with you to a healthier lifestyle. Please do your own research before taking part in any of these practices.

Shonda (01:30): Hi Patryce. Here we are again, and we're back on our immune system series or our series of immunity. So today

Shonda (01:41): We're talking about, uh, the G part of G bombs, and I'm going to let you start Patryce telling us, um, well, just start anywhere. What, what, what, what are your favorite greens or, you know, you did any extra research to find out what's so good about them? I'll let you take it over from there.

Patryce (02:04): Excellent. Some of my favorite greens, I just started racking my brains about what I tend to gravitate to. And then I did start doing a little research to see how nutritionally packed the greens that I favor really are. And, uh, I was happy to learn that they aren't just tasty to me, but they're actually nutritious as well. And the first one, uh, that's been very, a favorite in our house is kale these days, K A L E. You can eat it raw or you can eat it sauteed. You can even make kale chips. And that was, I would think that's the top one.

Shonda (02:46): That's your top green? Okay. So yes. Do you prepare it all those different ways too?

Patryce (02:54): Yes, actually I do, but normally I, we eat it raw and to be honest, that's because it's the fastest way. And I know some people think of it as, um, a little chewier than they'd like, or what's the word, but what, what, what is important is that you also want to massage your raw kale if you don't want it so tough. And that just means putting the healthy oil of your choice and, and just basically doing just that, massaging it with your hands, your fingers. It's more tender, I suppose. But yeah, we usually eat it raw and I did learn that. Yes, it's great in all different forms, but by consuming it raw, you're getting the most, the most nutrition out of that.

Shonda (03:47): Okay. Yeah. So that sounds good. Anything else on kale? I, that, that's one of my favorites too, and it's exactly, for the same reasons

Patryce (03:56): Now that you asked anything else about ka-- if there's anything else about kale, I did find out that one cup of kale contains 684% of the, your daily value of vitamin K and then 206% of vitamin A and 134% ov Vitamin C's daily value.

Shonda (04:18): Wow, that's quite a bit,

Patryce (04:21): Okay. Another favorite would be greens and those many people may not know what those are, but they're basically immature greens produced from the seeds of vegetables and herbs. And, uh, the reason why, well, I became familiar with these going to the farmer's market. They offered some micro greens from one of the local farms, and I just liked them and you could eat them straight out of the container. And they're just a fast..., You can put them on your salads, make it, sell it from them, or just add them to your foods, which I did a lot of. And again, I looked those up and they have a lot of vitamin C, E and K.

Shonda (05:03): Okay. So where do you get your microgreens from now that you may not be visiting the, um, farmer's markets that much?

Patryce (05:11): That's a good point. Well, when I don't go to the farmer's market, uh, I have found them recently at Trader Joe's. So that's exciting. And they do say them micro greens are grown all year round, and that is actually something you might consider growing in your own kitchen or what have you. I've never done that, but I have been able to find them at Trader Joe's when I haven't made it to the farmer market. Uh, another one would be spinach, another yummy, a green leafy vegetable, and that one's high in K. Vitamin K a and manganese, That's it. Yes. Has manganese and folate and then cabbage and cabbage is really great in that... Now, you know, I grew up mainly on green cabbage, but you can also get purple and white and it's another very healthy, healthy green. And then I don't know if it's my favorite, but I did grow up on a lot of collard greens as a child. And my grandfather grew them a lot. And my mother, even now, my mother has a community garden where, uh, it's a neighborhood type garden. So she's able to get collard greens at times. And, uh, depending on how they're prepared, they can be delicious too.

Shonda (06:36): Right. Yeah. Or you can use them in as wraps cause their leaves grow so big.

Patryce (06:42): Ah, I never have. I've never done that.

Shonda (06:46): Oh yeah. That's my favorite way to eat those. You've never had to do it cause you, you could eat bread. Well, yeah, I think the important thing is to just, you know, we're, we're calling out all these different vitamins and minerals, but the key is to just eat a lot of greens and you'll get all the vitamins & minerals, you know, that, that they provide, uh, the way they are supposed to be provided in these whole foods. So that sounds good.

Patryce (07:16): I, I'm a big fan of beet and just found out recently that you can eat the, the leaf, the green Leaves of the beets. I've never done that, but apparently those are really good. So I just threw that out there as something to explore, but another very good one is bok choy. And sometimes it may be more challenging to find it because if you go to an Asian market, it's more plentiful, [right]. The bok choy, but those are quite tasty. I know stir frying them is really good.

Shonda (07:51): Yeah. Okay. So yeah, they are. I do, like, I like all of those and I have eaten beet greens. I have juiced beet greens and they are quite strong. Beet greens, um, they are very, um, green tasting, you know? No, actually they taste more like the beet. They're kind of like, um, the only thing I can think of is like a dirtier green, I don't know. But, um, you know, I would add them with a lot of different greens and not just one, you know, not just eat them alone.

Patryce (08:26): [Actually.].. I see that, that makes sense.

Shonda (08:29): Turnips and mustards are two of my favorite and, and you know, it's, it's odd that I usually only cook these in the winter months, but I think that's when they are more plentiful that when they actually grow. So, you know, it's kind of important, you know, there are some that say eat, eat in season. So right now I think most of the greens that you were talking about, or just let's say most greens are really in season in the cold months. I actually have some kale, uh, I have some growing in my garden right now and I'm telling you, these greens are really happy in the cold weather.

Patryce (09:13): Oh, good to know. [Yeah.]

Shonda (09:16): So, uh, yeah. And guess what, everyone, I started them from seed. I planted them...

Patryce (09:21): Congratulations.

Shonda (09:24): Yeah. That's been fun, so, [wow].

Shonda (09:28): Okay. So I think in the house here, um, my, uh, adult children, uh, may not be as adventurous, but they do eat romaine lettuce, you know? So that's one that, um, still has some good vitamins in it. I know it's vitamin A and K in there and you know, and they make really good crunchy parts in fresh salads, but actually speaking of crunch, did you already mentioned you did, you mentioned cabbage and I hadn't, I was unaware that there is a white cabbage. I definitely would pick it up if I ever found it, but I do use green and purple a lot in a salad, um, along with carrots. So, um, that's another good one. Now, um, or one that tastes pretty similar to the beet greens is uh Swiss Chard. Yeah. So they're another..., But they're so pretty. I mean, they're just pretty to me and that's why, that's why I buy them really.

Shonda (10:36): And, uh, I buy them cause they're pretty, you know, they're usually, you know, they can be, you know, they have the red veins and then green and then yeah. Some of it could be a little, uh, orange, you know, they're just so pretty. And so when I, when I, when I, when I'm in the store and I see them and they look really healthy and just colorful, I just, I can't help, but buy them and um, usually I do wilt those. Swiss Chard, you know, along with a grain or something, I like to wilt them or maybe cook them with a little garlic or something like that. But I think, um, yeah, all of these are good In Vitamin A and C and K and of course calcium, because we know that, you know, greens provide calcium for us.

Patryce (11:24): So True. So true. Can we go back to the cabbage? Because one other thing I remember you used to make a lot of sauerkraut and that is from cabbage.

Shonda (11:36): Exactly. Yeah. The purple kraut is everyone's favorite.

Patryce (11:40): Purple kraut. That's right. You did more of that than the green, or did you do green at all? I don't remember ...

Shonda (11:46): Green. And when I do green make the green cabbage, I like to make it, uh, and kimchi style, you know, or more spicy. And then the purple is sweet because it has pineapple added to it. And I do, I have some in my fridge and I had some, I think this morning, so yeah.

Patryce (12:08): Yeah. Well, that's another great use of cabbage because of the fermentation. That's very good for our gut health.

Shonda (12:15): Yeah. That kicks it up a notch.

Patryce (12:18): I do want to ask you, I'm sorry. I wanted to ask you about the Swiss Chard because I, now that you mention it, they do look very attractive, but for whatever reason, I not really prepared those. And I wondered is the taste very strong?

Shonda (12:34): Yeah. The taste of Swiss Chard is strong. Oh yeah, yeah. A little less, a little less bitter than a beet greens, but yeah, they are, um, they have a different texture too. When we know, I, I, like I said, I usually wilt them. So they do, they're, they're very tender, but strong at the same time. I don't know how to describe it. Yeah.

Patryce (13:04): I have to try them one day though. And I, now that I'm asking about some that I haven't tried, I'm curious for yourself or your family, have you juiced many of these because now that I think about it, the only ones I've ever used in like a smoothie or maybe a juice, but definitely smoothie are spinach and kale.

Shonda (13:25): Yeah. Those are two popular ones, but I have put just about everything in a smoothie. It's not like I do it all the time, but when I see them in there, I may just throw it in there and I don't throw it in the same quantities that I would, the spinach or the kale, just because, um, you know, spinach, it's not detectable at all kale's a little bit more tasty, but the others, you know, it may be half of a leaf or something like that when I throw it in there, uh, I have juiced beet greens and, um, uh, you don't want to do too much at a time. You want to mix it with another juice other than just the beets also. Um, I'm trying to remember what else have I juiced? I've juice cabbage. Really? Yeah. It's really good for IBS... Settling the stomach. You know, when I was talking about the colors that attract me to the, uh, Swiss Chard, um, we have to remember those colors are, what are the antioxidants? You know, those are the pigments, uh, that are, um, benefit us, you know, when we see those colors, those colors... And that's why if you've ever heard, you know, eat from the rainbow.

Patryce (14:46): Yes, I have. Yes.

Shonda (14:49): So, yeah. And so we should know that, uh, leaf leafy greens are not always green. Like you said, the cabbages white or the cabbages purple. Um,

Patryce (15:03): But you know what, maybe we can just also share that of course these are wonderful foods to eat because they are whole plant-based food, um, [natural], you know, not processed, but also realizing in addition, they're, they're just very beneficial to our health. And, and I had even learned that they can help reduce the risk of obesity and heart disease, high blood pressure, and even mental decline. Now I have to do more research about the mental decline, but that found that very interesting, um, that it could be helpful in that way.

New Speaker (15:47): Right? Yeah. That's what, that's where Dr. Fuhrman came up with, you know, putting these together. And that's a really neat way to think about it. I guess we could go ahead and tell everyone what all the GBOMBS are. You know, we were starting with greens this week and the others are, are beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds. So we're, we'll be talking about those things. And, uh, he does highlight that these are extremely effective at preventing chronic disease, including cancer and promoting health and longevity. I want to add that greens. I noticed I've even had, um, barley greens, barley greens as, um, like I did the wheat grass and also barley greens as a dry powder. I noticed that if I would add it, yeah. If I would add it to, um, my smoothies or even just drinking in water, it's just, there is something about greens that really help with detoxification. And so that your body's not having a hard time detoxifying, guess what? You're going to have more energy. Greens have always given me energy. So I know that at times when I'm feeling, you know, like lack luster, whatever, not a lot of energy, I'm like, Oh my goodness, where am I greens? You know? So, um, if energy doesn't get you to eat your greens, I don't know what will,

Patryce (17:23): Well, that's a very good point Shonda, because I was just telling my husband that I need to go back to my routine of having a salad every other day, if not every day, because it's just been a few days where I haven't had my salad. Sometimes I even have a salad for breakfast. And I just feel like it's a great way to start my day. And I... Now that you mentioned it. I do feel like it helps to keep my energy level up. But now that I've gone a few days without having my usual salad, whether it be kale or what have you, I do notice a difference. I don't feel, I feel even heavier. It's not even a matter of whether you look heavier or those scales says. It, it, it may be that reflected too in that way, but there's something about the whole energy level, um, by having those greens and maybe just, just keeping you, um, more detoxed naturally. So I'm going to experiment with that because it's been a few days that I have not had my salad on a regular basis.

Shonda (18:27): Okay. I'm going to check in with you tomorrow. So yeah, everyone look for that upcoming video on, uh, creating G bombs to be out soon. We're going to wrap it up today. Yeah. We hope you've enjoyed this and are encouraged to eat more greens. Green is my favorite color by the way.

Patryce (18:48): Oh, really? I'm not surprised.

Shonda (18:53): Thanks for listening. We hope you enjoy today's podcast. Remember you can catch show notes and additional details at RealFoodAndDrinks.com under the podcast menu. Also subscribe to our podcast if you aren't already a member of our community. And if listening through anchor, please send us a message of topics you would like to hear us have conversations about until next time. Let's just be real.