All Videos for Greens

Potassium and Autoimmune Disease

Plant-based diets appear to decrease inflammation via a variety of mechanisms—including boosting our adrenal gland function, due to the consumption of potassium rich foods.



Preventing Strokes with Diet

Increasing the intake of potassium-rich foods is associated with a significantly lower stroke risk.



Preventing Wrinkles with Diet

What dietary intervention may significantly protect against wrinkles in the crow’s foot area around the eyes?



Eating Green to Prevent Cancer

Chlorophyll, the most ubiquitous plant pigment in the world, may protect our DNA against mutation by intercepting carcinogens.



Paleolithic Lessons

An evolutionary argument for a plant-based diet is presented, in contrast to “Paleo” fad diets.



The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin

Tryptophan is the precursor to the “happiness hormone” serotonin, so why not take tryptophan supplements to improve mood and relieve symptoms of depression?



Mineral of the Year—Magnesium

Despite promising autopsy and population data suggesting that inadequate magnesium intake is a risk factor for sudden cardiac death, it wasn’t until recently that this was demonstrated in prospective studies.



How Do Nuts Prevent Sudden Cardiac Death?

Most men and women who die of heart disease, our #1 killer, die suddenly without any known history of heart problems. Nut consumption, however, has been associated specifically with decreased risk of sudden cardiac death, which may be due to magnesium, a mineral found predominantly in whole grains, greens, beans, nuts, and seeds.



Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Death in America is largely a foodborne illness. Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals, Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse many of the top 15 killers in the United States.



New Mineral Absorption Enhancers Found

The whole grain phytonutrient phytic acid (phytate) partially inhibits mineral absorption, but has a wide range of health-promoting properties, such as anticancer activity. By concurrently eating mineral absorption enhancers, such as garlic and onions, one can get the best of both worlds by improving the bioavailability of iron and zinc in plant foods.



Is Hydroponic Basil as Healthy?

The antioxidant, phytonutrient, and vitamin content of basil grown in water (hydroponic) is compared to basil grown in soil.



Prevent Glaucoma and See 27 Miles Farther

The risk of glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, appears to be dramatically reduced by kale or collard greens consumption, thanks to the phytonutrient pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.



Apples and Oranges: Dietary Diversity

In addition to quantity and quality, the variety of fruits and vegetables consumed matters, as many phytonutrients are not evenly distributed among the various families and parts of plants.



Raw Broccoli & Bladder Cancer Survival

The effect of raw and cooked broccoli consumption on survival rates of bladder cancer patients.



Smoking vs. Kale Juice

The effect of kale juice on LDL and HDL cholesterol, and the antioxidant capacity of the blood.



Kale and the Immune System

Comparing the immune system-boosting effect of cooked versus raw kale.



So Should We Drink Beet Juice, or Not?

In the context of a healthy, plant-based diet, the nitrates in vegetables can safely be converted into nitric oxide, which can boost athletic performance, and may help prevent heart disease.



Are Nitrates Pollutants or Nutrients?

Phytonutrients, such as vitamin C, prevent the formation of nitrosamines from nitrites—which explains why adding nitrite preservatives to processed meat can be harmful, but adding more vegetables, with their nitrite-forming nitrates, to our diet can be helpful.



Is Bacon Good or Is Spinach Bad?

If the nitrates in vegetables such as greens are health-promoting because they can be turned into nitrites, and then nitric oxide, inside our bodies, what about the nitrites added to cured meats—such as bacon, ham, and hot dogs?



Vegetables Rate by Nitrate

If nitrates can boost athletic performance and protect against heart disease, which vegetables have the most—beans, bulb vegetables (like garlic and onions), fruiting vegetables (like eggplant and squash), greens (such as arugula), mushrooms, root vegetables (such as carrots and beets), or stem vegetables (such as celery and rhubarb)?



Hearts Shouldn’t Skip a Beet

The nitrate in vegetables, which the body can turn into the vasodilator nitric oxide, may help explain the role dark green leafy vegetables play in the prevention and treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure) and heart disease.



Anti Up on the Veggies

Greens rank highest in chemical antioxidant assays (such as ORAC, TEAC, TRAP, and FRAP). But which vegetables lead the pack when cellular antioxidant activity is measured?



Antioxidants in a Pinch

Some herbs and spices—including cinnamon, cloves, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, and peppermint—are so rich in antioxidants that just a small pinch can go a long way.



Constructing a Cognitive Portfolio

Different fruits and vegetables appear to support different cognitive domains of the brain, so both variety and quantity are important.



Dietary Guidelines: Pushback from the Sugar, Salt, & Meat Industries

The Sugar Association, Salt Institute, and American Meat Institute all railed against the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans.



Dietary Guidelines: It’s All Greek to the USDA

Unlike the United States, where the agriculture department is the lead agency on formulating dietary recommendations, other countries such as Greece rely on their health department. What do their dietary guidelines look like?



Nation’s Diet in Crisis

Survey reveals the vast majority of Americans are not eating healthy, even by U.S. Dietary Guideline standards.



Bowels of the Earth

Which country has the largest (and smallest) average stool size?



Rosy Glow

Erectile dysfunction may be an early warning sign for heart disease.



Produce, Not Pills, to Increase Physical Attractiveness

Kale works better at boosting antioxidant levels in the skin than synthetic beta carotene, lutein, and mixed carotenoid supplements.



Golden Glow

How to be more attractive by eating carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables—rather than tanning—for healthy-looking skin.



Egg Industry Blind Spot

To help deflect criticism from the cholesterol content of their product, the egg industry touts the benefits of two phytonutrients, lutein and zeaxanthin, that have indeed been shown to be beneficial in protecting one’s eyesight against vision-threatening conditions, such as cataracts and macular degeneration. But how do eggs stack up against plant-based sources?



Overdosing on Greens

Raw cruciferous vegetables: how much is too much?



Boosting Heart Nerve Control

Which food was found to improve heart rate variability?



Plant vs. Cow Calcium

What baggage comes along with the calcium in milk?



Raw Food Diet Myths

Some nutrients are destroyed by cooking, but some nutrients become more absorbable.