In the past week I wonder why I've avoided shopping for my favorite greens- red leaf lettuce, romaine, broccoli sprouts, kale, collard and dandelion. The first two lettuces, as they are so commonly referred to, are really for fluff or to make me feel good while I'm eating the hard core, 'good for you' greens, good not only according to holistic nutritionists and naturopaths but even the USDA. In fact, broccoli sprout 
seedlings are rich in sulforaphane, a cancer-fighting compound. To check out a short video about sulforaphane, go here.
So if all this is so 'good for me' and I am such a health nut why have I avoided making salads this past week. I forgot about seasons and what our bodies require. Or maybe my body was confused since the temperature got cooler and then went up again.
The season for huddling, cuddling and seeking foods that comfort is soon approaching. According to Drew DiVittorio, a practitioner of Chinese Medicine and holding a degree from the School of Classical Taoist Herbology, every season has a correlating organ in the body. In winter, that organ is the kidney, and we must produce warmth to nourish and protect it. We crave more fatty foods because fat creates warmth. We also 
long for comforting teas and tend to favor root vegetables such as cooked beets, potatoes and turnips over cold salad greens. To read more of Drew's conversation about food, warmth and your kidneys, go here. Well that's traditional Chinese medicine for you.
By the way, if you still want to eat those cancer fighting greens, even when the outside temp goes down, steam them for 60 seconds, drip a bit of olive oil and lemon(mixed with garlic and spices) on top and your immune system will get a boost in the winter months, really yummy!
I don't think I will give up those greens for the heavy root warming vegetables just yet. Back to Perelandra, one of my favorite health food stores, to pick up more healthy greens.
Myrna Weinreich
Connecting you to your healthier self
http://healthybodynyc.com
can lower your cancer risk. "Two new studies suggest that eating beans could lower your risk of developing a colon adenoma, a non-cancerous tumor that can progress 
into colon cancer. Previous studies link greater consumption of legumes (dried beans and peas) with lower risk of heart disease", Collins reports. To read more, go here.
