Go GREEN for St. Patrick’s Day

St. Patrick’s Day is this coming Thursday and whether you celebrate or not, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Probably corned beef and cabbage, soda bread, and food dyed the color green such as green bagels, green muffins and green cupcakes.

What do all these green-dyed foods have in common?

They are highly processed, refined, and full of fat and sugar. Well, of course they are, they have to be in order to dye them an artificial color.

While I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t have fun with green dyed items (try green tie-dyed t-shirts, green hair or green nails), let’s go GREEN this St. Patty’s day with green fruits and vegetables for a burst of antioxidants and phytonutrients for your health.

Green Leafy Vegetables, such as spinach, collard greens, kale, and broccoli – they are rich in:

Beta-carotene, which benefits vision, skin and bone health, as well as the immune system
Lutein and zeaxanthin, which help with eye health, as well as cancer and heart health
Indoles, which have anti-cancer properties

Avocados, which contain:

Monounsaturated fats, that are heart healthy
Lutein and zeaxanthin, promoting eye health
20 different vitamins and minerals, specifically rich in vitamin K which promotes bone health

Green Apples, a wonderful source of:

Quercetin, has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects
Fiber, which helps keep your digestive tract clean

Artichokes, which are ranked #7 out of 1,000 plant foods high in antioxidant content. They are rich in:

Polyphenols, which have chemo preventive qualities
Quercetin and rutin, which have anti-cancer effects
Lutein, promoting eye health

Try these suggestions for adding more GREEN to your St. Patty’s day meal:

Spinach pancakes paired with corned beef hash for breakfast
A potato scone topped with green peppers and onions for breakfast
Add sliced avocado to your lunchtime turkey sandwich
Colcannon made with kale and leeks which go great with your corned beef dinner (for those who don’t know, colcannon is a traditional Irish dish mainly consisting of mashed potatoes with kale or cabbage)
Green beans and peas can be added to Irish Beef Stew
Spinach and artichoke dip with green tortilla chips as an appetizer
A fruit salad filled with grapes, kiwi, honeydew melons and green apples will go great with Irish Soda Bread for dessert
A tossed salad filled with green onions, green peppers and cucumbers keeps this starter dish festive
Zucchini-oatmeal cookies – these cookies are green without any food coloring

By the way, these green fruits and vegetables are also great to add to meals every day, not just for St. Patrick’s Day!

Your turn to take action: What green fruits and vegetables will you add to your St. Patty’s Day meal? Let me know in the comments section below.