It’s that time of year.
Mowing season in Indiana has begun.
When I’m in the middle of mowing the lawn, the last thing I want to do is come inside, sit down at the table and eat a traditional salad with a fork.
So I don’t.
Throughout the past eleven years, I’ve been flooding my body with micronutrients, phytochemicals, lycopene, aromatose inhibitors, polyphenols, Omega 3s, and the like.
Actually, that’s just a fancy way of saying I’ve been flooding my body with nutrients that have prevented me from getting bronchitis—that I used to get every winter—and a myriad of other illness this past decade.
But I keep it simple.
For me, that’s what’s sustainable; that’s what’s doable.
I like a lettuce wrap (or a collard wrap if I have collard leaves on hand).
I simply spread some hummus on the leaves and add a few chopped walnuts.
hummus and walnuts on Romaine lettuce leaves
Then I add leftover steamed greens, mushrooms, and onions. Yesterday, the steamed greens were leftover broccoli florets (with a big squirt of mustard). Today, the steamed greens were leftover asparagus spears.
I roll the contraption up—and if the green leaves are wet, I merely wrap a clean washcloth around it to catch the drips.
This way of eating enables me to take a break from the lawnmower, sit outdoors and enjoy the beauty of our yard while eating my “wrapped salad.”
“wrapped salad” to go
I usually eat berries or an apple for dessert. . .and pretty soon succulent melons will be ready to eat! (Did you know that strawberries alone have nearly 700 nutrients?!)
Flooding one’s body with nutrients doesn’t need to be complicated, expensive, or time consuming.
Eleven years later, I still feel like I have won the lottery by learning to eat food that nourishes, heals, and energizes my body—including my brain.
After years of chronic deprivation, the resulting malnutrition caused me to gain more than 100 pounds, and I suffered greatly because of it.
This way of eating is a get to . . .not a have to!
Cheers to all!
[P.S. My husband has also found ways to conveniently flood his body with nutrients. . .even on outdoor hiking adventures far away from home and restaurants. (Click here to learn how he dehydrates his kale smoothies.) ]
Let’s talk about the nutrients in this “salad wrap:”
First of all, greens are packed with protein, and cruciferous greens prevent the build-up of plaque in the arteries. They also boost the immune system and fight cancer cells as well as clean up wastes in the blood.
The beans in the hummus lower blood sugars after the next meal. They are also important for good bacterial gut health, and they bind cholesterol in the digestive tract to facilitate its removal from the body.
Mushrooms kill viruses and protect against cancer. (However, always eat them cooked. Raw mushrooms are toxic.)
Onions lower the risk of heart disease by preventing blood clotting as well protect against the growth of cancer cells.
If you add berries for dessert, they block the growth of tumors, suppress fat stores, and inhibit the absorption of sugar in the bloodstream.
Emily Boller, artist, mother, and author of Starved to Obesity, lost 100 pounds more than fifteen years ago by eating an abundance of high-nutrient, plant-rich foods. Today, she’s certified in whole plant nutrition from the Nutritarian Education Institute. She’s on a mission to combine practical, no-nonsense and cost-effective tips—with easy to understand science—in order to help anyone escape the addictive grip of the Standard American Diet. And now, she’s on a mission to bring awareness to the suffocating and potentially deadly trap of eating disorders as well.