Eat Your Greens

We all know from Popeye that eating spinach or eating ‘your greens’ is the right thing to do, but we were never told exactly why eating leafy greens would be beneficial for our diet and our bodies. I am here to tell you that eating your greens is not only the right thing to do while on a diet but it can also help with your psoriasis flare ups as well!

Almost all anti-inflammatory diets include some sort of leafy greens into their recommended meals. Whether it is in a salad, smoothie, or steamed as a side dish- they all have the same core idea- leafy greens can help reduce inflammation throughout the body. The reason they are so beneficial is because they are loaded with antioxidants which can help protect your cells against inflammation which may help with inflammation due to psoriasis. These types of foods help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation throughout the entire body which not only make you feel better but also look your best as well.

One of the best and easiest ways to incorporate leafy greens into your diet is in smoothies! One of my favorite smoothies to make that is quick and healthy is a spinach-mango smoothie. I do about:

- 2 cups of washed and dried spinach
- half cup of frozen mango
- half of a banana
- half a cup of water
- half a cup of orange juice

Once these ingredients are all blended together, you cannot taste the greens at all!

While the smoothie will still appear to be green, it tastes more like mango and orange juice and is refreshing on a hot summer day. This is one of my favorite smoothies to bring with me on the go because it is so quick to make and only takes a few minutes with a few quick ingredients. I also will sometimes freeze my bananas if they start to go brown to keep them fresh for longer.