THE POWER OF VEGGIES

Popeye Was Right - Greens Pack a Powerful Punch

I have been active most of my life and in all those years, I am more healthier and energetic because of my increased knowledge of nutrition. In this first post, I want to demonstrate the knockout punch veggies and legumes have and how they can boost your performance. I would also like to slap away the popular misconception of “withering away” when you eat whole foods plant based meals also known as WFPB. I live on plants and legumes and I'm still kicking (hard). My performance on the bicycle has drastically improved and my energy levels throughout the day are through the roof. Did I mention that my grocery bill doesn’t make me cringe?! 

Here are some metrics of popular items and how they rank in terms of nutritional values. In future posts, I’ll show you can simply bring these together and make quick and tasty meals. 

 NUTRIENTS PRESENT IN 100-CALORIE PORTIONS OF SELECTED FOODS

Vitamin Broccoli Sirloin Romaine Kale

Protein 11.2 g 5.4g 11.6g 9.46g

Calcium 182mg 2.4mg 257mg 455mg

Magnesium 71.4mg 5mg 43mg 59mg

Potassium 643mg 88mg 2000mg 1059mg

Cholesterol 0 5 0 0

Saturated fat 0 1.7g 0 0

Now we all know that calcium builds strong bones but do you want added sugar, fat and calories that is found in cow’s milk? Not to mention, the majority of people are lactose intolerant to some degree. So the next time you’re having your coffee consider your options.

Calcium in 100 calories

Bok Choy 1055

Kale 455

Almond/Soy/oat milk 291

Cow Milk 194

Broccoli 182

Cauliflower 88

I was like many others; scarfing down mounds of meat after workouts to get my protein. 

Fun fact:   all protein on the planet was formed from the effect of sunlight on green plants.

The biggest animals - elephants, gorillas, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, and giraffes - all eat predominantly green vegetation. How did they get the protein to get so big? PLANTS.

Protein content of common foods in decreasing order of protein per calorie

Food Protein (grams) Calories Protein per calories Percent of protein

1 c cooked spinach 5.4 42 0.13 51

1 c frozen broccoli 5.8 52 0.11 45

1 c lentils cooked 16 175 0.09 36

1 c frozen peas 9 120 0.08 30

Cheeseburger 18 350 0.05 21

The preceding information was referenced from, EAT TO LIVE; a book by Joel Furman M.D.