When I was a child Popeye cartoons went a long way towards making me eat my vegetables. He would down a can and practically lift a car. Impressive wasn’t it? A bit exaggerated,  but the general idea was correct — you get strong by eating leafy green vegetables.

Five of the healthiest dark green vegetables include broccoli, kale, spinach, romaine lettuce and Swiss chard. These vegetables, identified by their dark green color, are rich in antioxidants and usually have large amounts of phytochemicals like Vitamin C.

If you’ve turned on the television in the past three years, antioxidants have been all over the news. They’ve been proven to help reduce the risk of cancer and strengthen the immune system.

Many foods tend to lose nutrients when cooked.The great thing about these dark green vegetables is that you can find them easily in your grocery store and they taste great with little or no cooking, leaving much of their nutrients intact.

Here is some important information about these healthy veggies:

Broccoli is a fun vegetable for kids because it feels like you’re eating a small tree. In fact, the little buds are actually tiny flourettes that contain more than twice the amount of Vitamin C of an orange.

Some facts about broccoli you may not already know include:

• Broccoli is a great source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. It not only meets both types of fiber needs, but it’s also a rich source to add to your diet.
• Research has shown indole-3-carbinol – found in the phytonutrients of broccoli – actually deactivates a metabolite which can become cancerous.
• Broccoli also helps restore sun-damaged skin, reduces the risk of heart disease, and boosts the immune system. At the same time, it also promotes healthy bone growth due to its massive amounts of calcium.

Kale is a slightly bitter, leafy green with a huge amount of folic acid and potassium. Try some kale in your stir-fry. You may just find yourself thoroughly impressed.

• The folic acid found in kale is a great addition to your diet if you suffer from poor hair, skin and nails.
• In addition, the potassium helps to promote the breakdown of lactic acid in muscles after a workout, and is a great food to help prevent muscle soreness in the recovery process.

Swiss chard is similar to spinach, with a little more of an earthy undertone. Rich in Vitamins C and K, as well as calcium, Swiss chard is a great addition to salads.

• Vitamin K helps promote healthy eye and brain function. The next time you have to spend hours staring at a computer screen or studying for that big exam, try some Swiss chard and let your mind be at ease knowing your brain is getting the nutrients it needs.

Spinach is a lean mean green antioxidant-packing machine, rich in flavor and in Vitamins A and C, and iron.

• Spinach is loaded with important vitamins and minerals to promote healthy brain function as well as strong bones and muscles.
• Next time you have a salad, try it with spinach instead of lettuce for a little variety and a big explosion of taste.

Lettuce may be the last thing that comes to mind when you picture dark green vegetables. While many of the lighter shades of lettuce, such as iceberg, have very little nutritional value, the darker the color, the more they have to hide.

Romaine lettuce, while still made up mostly of water, is packed with antioxidants and fiber.

The darker green the leaf, the more folic acid is present, which prevents heart disease.

Even though lettuce seems so simple, look at some of its complex attributes:

• Lettuce is great for diets since it’s very low in calories.
• Magnesium, found in romaine lettuce, does wonders in revitalizing muscular tissues, the brain and the nerves.
• The chlorophyll-packed juice in lettuce is very helpful in maintaining normal hair color.
• Lettuce is high in iron, which helps the formation of red blood cells.
• Lettuce may help in treating insomnia, acid indigestion, colitis, constipation, gout, stress and many other diseases as well.

While you might have been forced to eat your dark green veggies as a kid, now you know why it was so important. Even today, your dark greens are vital to your health and well-being. Try these dark greens in some new recipes; you just might surprise yourself and actually enjoy it!

There’s a definite connection between depression and overeating. Food equals comfort for many people who suffer from depression, and eating lifts them out of their misery for awhile. The problem is that it never lasts for long and usually stacks on unwanted pounds that may even deepen the depression.

Withdrawal from friends and family is also a symptom of depression, and in a depressed person’s aloneness, she sometimes turns to food and gives in to cravings to forget her problems. When a person suffers from depression, binge eating is often seen as a solution and the eating becomes uncontrollable – permeating every corner of her life.

Emotional triggers that sometimes begin an overeating binge can be exacerbated by depression. Smells and looks of food may be overwhelmingly tempting to a person who is depressed and frequent episodes of bingeing can take place, causing the person to lose self-confidence and withdraw from life even further.

While depression is a definite feel bad emotion, those who suffer from depression may associate food with feeling good and ultimately turn to it for comfort. Chronic stress can also cause depression and lead to food binges. If you find yourself stressed out from work or other issues and overeating because of it, there are several ways to combat the issues.

One way to relieve stress is through aerobic exercise. Along with the exercise, you’ll also get the added benefit of burning calories you ingested while overeating. Exercise will improve feelings of depression by manufacturing endorphins, which scientists have proven increase a sense of well-being.

There is both good news and bad about medical treatments for depression – the medication will probably lessen or completely get rid of feelings of depression, but the same medication can cause weight gain. If you’re thinking of taking an anti-depressant, first talk it over with your doctor and research the side effects of the recommended medication. Sometimes an anti-depressant can be used for a short period of time during an especially difficult situation to alleviate depressed feelings.

Notice certain actions that you may exhibit when you’re overeating such as cramming huge amounts of food in your mouth as fast as you can, planning ahead for alone time when you can engage in bingeing and if you feel sad and drained of energy when the bingeing is over.

These are signs that depression may be the cause of your eating disorder. Take a close look at your life and try to see where you can reduce stress and gain control of your eating habits. Sometimes, you can easily figure out the path you need to take – but if you can’t, see your physician who may refer you to a specialist who deals with all types of eating disorders on a daily basis.

Eating in a holistic way need not be difficult or complicated. Many people associate healthy eating with depriving themselves of the foods they love, but this need not be the case either. Here is a holistic eating tip or two to get you on the right path.

My main healthy eating tip would be to eat as wide a variety of different foods as possible, especially fruit and vegetables. Not only are they are low in calories, so can help fill you up, they are also full of antioxidants, vitamins, fiber and minerals which help the body repair itself and protect against diseases such as heart disease and cancer.

Eating a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables will ensure that you receive an intake of many different antioxidants and vitamins. Ideally each meal should contain fruit or vegetables, and they can be eaten as a snack to substitute candy bars and fries.

Another good eating tip is to not expect too much at once. It is a bad idea to completely change your diet overnight- you will lose motivation and be tempted to cheat. Try to make small changes at a time; for instance, substitute one of two of your daily snacks for fruit, and add a side salad to your meals. You should be able to make these changes without too much hardship, which will encourage you to make further changes.

If you try to completely ban your favorite foods, you will find yourself craving them all the more. Allowing yourself a planned occasional treat will also help to keep motivation levels high.

Another tip is to reduce your portion sizes. Food serving sizes have become much larger over recent years, especially when eating out. As a result, we have lost track of how much we are actually eating, and have become conditioned to accept larger amounts of food than we need.

There are a lot of people who eat a very healthy diet- just too much of it. Use smaller plates and serve yourself a smaller portion than you normally would. Eat slowly and savor every mouthful; this will give your brain the chance to signal that you have had enough.

When eating out, try sharing a dish, and don’t go for super sized options. Try planning ahead. Write down a rough meal menu for the next week and make sure you have all the ingredients to hand. Write a list- when you go grocery shopping with a list you are less likely to be tempted by impulse buys.

When you know what you will be cooking each evening, you are less likely to order take out food because you have nothing in your cupboard. Try batch cooking- prepare a larger amount of pasta, soups and casseroles and freeze some in individual portions. These are ideal for those busy days as they will just need heating through.

Another good holistic eating tip is to avoid eating in front of the television or computer. Studies have shown that people tend to eat more when they do this as they are not aware of what they are eating. Make your meals an event. Gather the family around the table and switch the television off. If you live alone, eat at the table and savor your meals without distraction. Don’t snack on the run as you will likely be consuming foods which are high in salt or sugar.

Eating healthy is not as hard as people think. With a little meal planning and preparation, you will soon be making lasting changes to your eating habits.

What we eat has a great effect on how we feel. During winter it’s especially apparent as many people find their mood often becomes depressed. Of course there are medicines available, but if you would like to try a more natural route to dealing with moodiness and feeling down, why not address your diet first?

1. Tea. Who doesn’t like a good cup of tea? Researchers have found that the amino acid L-theanine contained in tea can cross the blood-brain barrier. This means it can directly affect the brain; In fact, L-theanine has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress, increase alpha brain waves, and generate a state of relaxation when taken in combination with caffeine which is also found naturally in tea.

2. Chocolate. Like tea, chocolate naturally contains caffeine which can help elevate your mood. Chocolate also contains obromine — a mild mood and energy-boosting stimulant. Dark chocolate contains the largest percentage of pure cocoa, and causes serotonin levels rise along with the happy feelings. The calories obtained from dark chocolate don’t outweigh the benefits of eating it.

3. Salmon. Vitamin D increases the serotonin levels in our brains. It is synthesized by skin cells after exposure to the sun, but during the winter months when the sun doesn’t shine as much, we have to obtain it from other sources. Salmon contains vitamin D as well as omega-3 fatty acids. The canned variety of salmon, fortified milk, and some vegetables provides vitamin D to our bodies.

4. Hemp. Many studies have linked lower rates of depression to Omega 3 fatty acids. Hemp actually has more fatty acids than flax and does not have the fish taste associated with Salmon. Hemp seed oil makes a great vinaigrette or you can add hemp seed powder to a smoothie.

5. Lentils. Lentils are part of the legume and bean family, and provide folate and vitamin B. Many studies have linked deficiencies of these nutrients to depression. We cannot store B vitamins so our bodies depend on our daily intake. Alcohol, refined sugars, nicotine, and caffeine destroy B vitamins so it is no surprise that many people may be deficient in these.

Regardless of how you choose to treat problems with depression, a nutritious diet helps you fight off illness. Adding these foods to your diet may help you get through the winter without going through the blues.

Resources: Healthy Meal Planning

Video – Nutritional Benefits of Hemp and Hemp Seed Oil

Since cooked meat is the most common source of protein for many people, there is a natural concern about how to get protein on a raw food diet. Fortunately, there a some very good sources of plant protein that can deliver most of the other nutrients that meat provides as well.

Hemp seeds often don’t get the credit they are due as a food source because people confuse hemp with marijuana. Although both plants are part of the cannabis family, industrial hemp – the kind used for food – does not have the psychoactive effect that marijuana has.

In fact, industrial hemp is not only a good source of healthy essential fatty acids, it is also a good source of protein. Its amino acid profile is similar to soy, eggs, meat and milk, so it is an excellent protein source to include in a raw food diet. Hemp seeds are a complete food source. They contain all of the essential amino and fatty acids that humans need.

Spirulina is an excellent choice of protein, and it’s perfect for vegans or people who don’t care to eat sushi or raw fish. It contains up to 70% protein and is also a good source of iron and vitamin B12 which usually are provided by meats. Spirulina is a type of fast growing algae that is found naturally in fresh water alkaline lakes, and is easier to digest than many other types of seaweed and algae harvested from the ocean.

Another benefit of Spirulina is that it’s rich in omega 3-fatty acids. These are the same beneficial fats that are found in cold water fish oil. So if you don’t like the taste of fish oil or if you’re committed to a vegan diet, you can still get your healthy fatty acids by including Spirulina in your diet.