Leafy greens boost your performance, speed your recovery, reduce inflammation, and eliminate pain. Greens are also the most powerful food for improving blood flow and reversing cardiovascular disease. An all around winner.
A few weeks ago, I finished a 30-mile bike ride and despite not properly training (not recommended), I still felt great. That was amazing considering how exhausting and painful biking once was for me. During my teens and 20s, I was that person walking around marinating in BenGay Ultra Strength Cream. Now, I rarely experience that level of insult and pain. And I’m sure my improvement is related to eating nutrient-dense, plant-based (anti-inflammatory) whole foods.
Leafy Greens
If you are looking for a way to immediately boost your performance, start by eating plenty of leafy greens. Leafy greens are rich in nitrates—compounds that get converted in your body to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide dilates arteries, improves blood flow, reduces inflammation, enhances performance, and speeds recovery.
Nitric Oxide
Increased nitric oxide quickly reverses a number of conditions, like heart disease, high blood pressure, and erectile dysfunction. These diseases are directly linked to the Standard American Diet, (animal products, sugar, salt, fat, fast food, and processed food), causing chronic inflammation of body tissues, narrowed arteries, and decreased blood flow. On the other hand, nitrate-rich foods keep your arteries wide open!
Arugula contains the highest nitrate level of all greens. Some other fantastic greens include Swiss chard, lettuce, spinach, kale, basil, cilantro, collards, mustard greens, and beet greens.
Leafy greens are equally beneficial whether cooked, in a salad, or blended into a smoothie!
When looking for nitrate-rich food, avoid artificial nitrates—chemical preservatives added to processed meats, like hotdogs, cured meats, sausage, and cold cuts. These harmful substances increase your risk for a variety of cancers.
If you are ready to make the most impactful change in your nutrition, start eating an abundance of leafy greens. Watch what happens when these nitrate-rich foods blast your nitric oxide levels and performance through the roof.
Carla Hightower, MD, MBA is a physician, health coach, workplace wellness consultant, and speaker. She helps people heal themselves with food. Through wellness workshops and courses, she helps companies create healthy, energetic teams.
What a great post! Letting go of unhealthy eating habits and eating the green leafy stuff (and any other veggie) is something I’m struggling with. Thanks for informing us on how important eating “green” is when it comes to athletic performance and overall general health!
Thank you for letting me know that my post was beneficial. That’s such good news. I will definitely write a follow up, highlighting science behind eating greens.
Hey I really like your blog. Let me know when you are making some of this plant-based food. I’ll bring my appetite.:) Also, I read your story about you not liking to work in the medical industry as well. I didn’t know it was that bad and society’s perception of medical doctors is that they are superhuman, big money. Although I know it’s a stressful job, but people would say the benefits, pay and such, balance it out. I guess there is another side to it all. Would love to hear more about that.
David, thank you for your positive feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed the post on leafy greens. I did not intend to shame the medical industry because it is a rewarding career. I was honored and privileged to care for my patients, nevertheless, the declining resources became a truly worrisome issue, especially in community hospital settings.