We all know eating our greens is good for us, yet many of us still avoid eating our greens! Here are some great reasons to eat your greens:

  1. They are a great source of folate, a B vitamin you find in abundance in dark, leafy greens. The biggest reason you should get enough folate is to prevent birth defects. Folate deficiency is found in many chronic illnesses.
  2. They help to burn fat, turning white fat cells into brown fat cells, which burn fat in our body.
  3. They also prevent cognitive decline, by keeping your blood flowing freely, which prevents blood clots and strokes.
  4. Greens also prevent diabetes. Certain nutrients in deep greens enhance insulin secretion and your body's ability to utilize the insulin that it makes.
  5. They also feed your gut's healthy bacteria and increase digestion and elimination.
  6. Dark, leafy greens provide UV protection at a cellular level and are a good way to get UV protection without being out in the sun.
  7. Leafy greens trap toxins and render them harmless as they travel safely out of your body.
  8. They build enzymes, as raw foods have the most alive active enzymes, which again helps us to digest and absorb our food and the nutrients in that food.


If this isn't enough, they taste great — and there are so many varieties from which to choose.

Eating a variety of deep green, leafy veggies is best. And your local farmers' market is the best place to find deep leafy greens in the winter months — fresh and locally grown!

Please come to our local Manitowoc Winter Market at CrossFit, 3651 Dewey St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to find the freshest, greenest and tastiest greens around. Great for building up your body and spirits during these cold winter months! See you there!

Pat Sampe is manager of Manitowoc Winter Market.



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