We’re going green for St. Patrick’s Day! By going green, we mean eating our organic leafy greens, naturally dyed organic cakes, and drinking our bright green organic smoothies and juices! I know, buzz kill, right!? But nutrition is the cornerstone of our mission here at P.S. & Co. We pride ourselves on nutrient-dense sweet and savory options and are even expanding our nutritional education into classes, eBooks, and more. Now let’s highlight some fascinating facts and studies on everything GREEN.
Brain Health + Greens
According to findings at Rush University in Chicago, just 2 servings of leafy greens a day can reduce the risk of dementia and protect overall brain health. The diets of 950 adults averaging age 81 were followed along with their cognitive abilities for between 2 and 10 years. The participants who ate 1-2 servings of greens a day had the cognitive ability of a person 11 years younger than those who consumed none.(1) Containing Vitamin K, lutein, beta carotene, and folate, greens are rich in brain-nourishing nutrients.(2)
Bone Health + Greens
Eating a diverse plant-based diet allows for all the calcium needed for strong bones without any of the health risks of dairy. While dairy does contain calcium, it is not from a direct source. Ingredients such as lactose sugar, animal proteins and growth factors, casein, fat, cholesterol, and contaminants are all things that come into play with calcium via cows. Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables are some of the best options out there. Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, spinach, kale, collards, turnip greens, mustard greens, bok choy, etc. are all packed with calcium. And, this calcium is highly absorbable. Note - vitamin D is important to have in your diet in conjunction with calcium. Without vitamin D, only 10-15% of dietary calcium gets absorbed.(3) Vitamin D is found in the sun, and just 15 minutes of exposure of sunshine a day is ideal. Mushrooms and fortified grains, juices, and soy milk are all great vitamin D options as well. Milk actually doesn’t naturally contain vitamin D. Animal protein can suppress the production of vitamin D, along with excessive calcium, unlike plant proteins (greens, tofu, beans, etc.)
Nutritional Education at P.S. & Co.
Meal Planning eBook
We'll help you tackle the challenges of meal planning, staying on track, and being kind to yourself throughout the process. Meal planning is great in theory but can be hard to put into practice. Our goal is to give you all of the information and resources you need for a happy and healthy meal planning journey.
In Person Meal Planning Classes
3rd Thursday of the Following Months:
April 20
May 18
June 22
6pm - 8pm
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Easy and efficiently make your everyday meals
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Create more nutrient-dense meals
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Create less waste
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Save big on groceries!
Craving a sweet, but healthy Shamrock Shake!?
A Fast Food Chain Shamrock Shake has a whopping 63g. sugar for a size small. Check out these scary ingredients below:
Vanilla Reduced Fat Ice Cream:
Ingredients: Milk, Sugar, Cream, Corn Syrup, Natural Flavor, Mono And Diglycerides, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, Vitamin A Palmitate.
Shamrock Shake Syrup:
Ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup, Water, Glycerin, Contains 2% Or Less: Natural Flavor, Xantham Gum, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate (preservative), Yellow 5, Blue 1.
Whipped Light Cream:
Ingredients: Cream, Nonfat Milk, Milk, Liquid Sugar, Contains 2% Or Less: Mono And Diglycerides, Natural Flavors, Carrageenan. Whipping Propellant (nitrous Oxide).
Try this recipe instead! (serves 2)
1 14-ounce can coconut milk (made into ice cubes)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 T. fresh mint
1/2 tsp. matcha powder
¾-1 c. non-dairy milk, add slowly as needed
2 frozen bananas
1-2 cups organic spinach
Optional mint extract (about ¼ tsp.) for extra minty flavor
Optional cacao nibs to top with
Optional added liquid sweetener, 1 T. maple syrup or agave
Blend well and enjoy! *Add more/less milk as needed. If your shake gets too thin, add more frozen banana or ice cubes. Please note - using a tamper with a high powered blender helps keep desired consistency.
Some Greens to try this weekend:
Organic Green Fiend Juice by RAW Juicery
Mild/Vegetal: Cucumber, Celery, Green Apple, Kale, Spinach, Ginger, Lemon, Parsley
Organic BBQ Tempeh Caesar Salad - Chopped lacinato kale served with organic caesar dressing, organic maple BBQ marinated tempeh, pickled onions.
Organic Burmese Chickpea Curry - Mama’s Burmese chickpea curry with forbidden rice, and lacinato kale.
Organic Forbidden Grain Bowl - with forbidden rice, chimichurri, rawcho cheese, roasted mushrooms, bell pepper, sautéed lacinato kale.
P.S. & Co. Organic Greens Smoothie
Organic kale, organic banana, organic orange, organic apple, triple filtered Vero water
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1 Morris MC, Booth SL, Dawson-Hughes B, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Wang Y. Relations to cognitive change with age of micronutrients found in green leafy vegetables. Report presented at: American Society for Nutrition annual meeting; March 28-April 1, 2015: Boston, MA.
2 Morris MC, Wang Y, Barnes LL, Bennett DA, Dawson-Hughes B, Booth SL. Nutrients and bioactives in green leafy vegetables and cognitive decline: Prospective study. Neurology. 2018 Jan 16;90(3):e214-e222. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004815. Epub 2017 Dec 20. PMID: 29263222; PMCID: PMC5772164.
3 Holick MF, Garabedian M. Vitamin D: photobiology, metabolism, mech-anism of action, and clinical applications. In: Favus MJ, ed. Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism. 6th ed. Washington, DC: American Society for Bone and Mineral Research; 2006:129-137.
