Eating Green: Parsley

Wild Edible Plants . . .

This site is a database for wild edible plants of North America. I encourage any users to leave comments reflecting their experiences with a certain plant. Much of our knowledge of edible plants is either lost, superstitious or incorrect. There's a lot of hype about how dangerous wild plants can be, when in reality most are not only safe they're critical for your health.

My perspective is somewhat unique in that my family and I have camped as a lifestyle for over a decade - essentially lived with edible plants and used them on a daily basis. We have also been raw fooders for a very long period. Becoming 100% raw vegan sparked my interest in edible plants like nothing else. Every day I was out hiking the trails barefoot, eating grass, eating flowers, trying parts of the many plants I came across with a clean palate . . .

Using wild edible plants is the best way we can defy the system, maintain our health, and get our independence back.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Parsley

Parsley is incredibly nutritious. This is from A2Z OF HEALTH:

Parsley contains three times as much vitamin C as oranges, twice as much iron as spinach, is rich in vitamin A and contains folate, potassium and calcium. What’s more, parsley is also recognized for its cancer-fighting potential. Some of the potent chemicals in parsley include:

Polyacetylenes, which seem to protect against certain cancer-causing substances found in tobacco smoke. It may also help to regulate the body's production of prostaglandin, which is a powerful tumor promoter.
Coumarins, which help prevent blood clotting, reducing your risk of arterial blockages that can lead to heart attacks.
Flavonoids, some of which act as anti-oxidants that neutralize dangerous free radicals, others that have been shown to prevent or slow the development of some cancers.
Monoterpenes, which are thought to have cancer-delaying properties, especially with breast tumors, and to reduce cholesterol.

But also in medicine its effectiveness as a diuretic and as a stimulant on the kidneys to expel waste is valued. Parsley is particularly helpful in treating kidney and bladder inflammations, irritable bladder and edema (an observable swelling in certain parts of the body).

And this is from VEGETARIANISM AND VEGETARIAN NUTRITION:

Parsley is loaded with good nutrition. Like most green vegetables, parsley is a good source of vitamin K, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. Its flavonoid content is substantial, giving it strong antioxidant activity. It also contains some useful iron.

I had a wonderful smoothie this evening made from 3 ripe bananas, a cup of water, and half a bunch of parsley. The parsley balanced the sweetness of the banana very well (it's amazing how well fruit and greens go together), and I noticed after I finished it, the parsley had a bite to it. I'm excited to have it again. I really look forward to the next green smoothie.

Today is Day 5 going 100% raw, and I had a green smoothie with organic collards this morning, a pound of organic strawberries for lunch, my parsley smoothie, and for dinner, almost double the amount of salad that I had the night before. It was so good with the dulse and avocado dressing I couldn't help overeating. But I felt very heavy afterwards, and went and took a 2 hour nap. I guess I have to keep learning little lessons like that to stay on track.

One thing I've noticed with going 100% raw is that you have to always be looking ahead. You can't look back ever to the way you used to eat, the old addictive relationship with food. As long as I'm always looking ahead to the next meal, what I might make tomorrow, what new thing I'd like to try, or new dish to make, I'm fine. Variety is very important.

My daugher reminded me of this raw dish I used to make - stuffed red bell peppers. That's what I'm looking forward to next. I soaked sunflower seeds, then blended them with one bunch of herbs (usually a mint), lemon juice, onion, and Real Salt. This mix went into the peppers - it was very good.

1 comment:

Pam JekelAugust 11, 2016 at 7:51 AM
is there a difference in nutrition value in the two types of parsley we see? Also do you know the nutritional value of cilantro as compared with parsley? Thanks so much for your advice in advance.
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

Guerilla Gardening

Eating green means eating wild/local/raw - any or all of the above. What you can't harvest in the wild, grow. Begin 'guerilla gardening' - the act of planting seeds of fruiting trees and shrubs on any suitable ground around you, regardless of whose land it is. Vacant lots, abandoned property, roadsides, public lands . . . anywhere.

If anything will 'save the planet', and bring back paradise - this is it. Of course the planet doesn't need saved from global warming/peak oil/overpopulation myths (propaganda), but from neglect and abuse, via habitat and soil destruction.

Start saving the seeds of everything you eat, read up on the conditions each seed likes for germination, and plant. It doesn't cost you a cent, yet is one of the greatest contributions towards the future you can make.

For more details, start here.

The Green Smoothie

The green smoothie is one of the easiest ways to incorporate wild edible plants in your diet, especially greens. They're very high in fiber and nutrients, and blended up, easy to assimilate.

A simple recipe is 2 to 3 bananas, a cup of water, a mango, and 2 cups of wild greens. If you don't have mango, use an extra banana. Blend it all on high a full minute. Not only does it taste great - it's great for you.

If there's no nearby wild greens, use 2 cups of organic greens - organic here is important because the whole point of the smoothie is minerals and chlorophyll ('the elixir of life') - which is much higher in organic greens than conventionally grown. Greens like chard and kale are easy to grow on your own - even in pots.

If you don't have greens, use a tablespoon of green powder, such as barley or wheat grass. If you've got a manual wheatgrass juicer, juice enough grass for a 1-2 ounce shot and throw that in. Most grass is sweet, and even bitter grass like crabgrass can be sweetened with a little more banana.

Longevity

Here are the 7 keys to health as outlined in AVOIDING DEGENERATIVE DISEASE:

-physical activity

.....find exercise you like and that is fun, not scheduled compulsory routines that you come to dread. Find ways to become more active.

-natural diet

.....every authority on health agrees that the more fruits and vegetables you eat the better. Hunger is an opportunity to either nourish or deaden yourself.

-clean water

.....avoid tap. Forget city water. Attach a cistern to your roof and harvest rain.

-sunshine

.....spend as much time outside as possible. Lay out and clear your thoughts. We're designed to thrive outside.

-sleep

.....get enough rest. Crack a window while you sleep for fresh air - even better, sleep outside. Sleep as much as possible.

-stress management

.....if possible, avoid all stress. Stress acts like poison in your body, and accumulates. If you can't avoid it, find ways to work it out, such as yoga or athletics.

-toxin avoidance

.....poisons are everywhere you turn in the modern environment. Live as simply and as close to nature as possible. Question every product.

I also highly recommend Victoria Boutenko's books.

Eating Green

Wild Edible Plants . . .

Friday, February 27, 2009

Parsley

1 comment:

Blog Archive

Followers

EATING GREEN

About Me

BOOKS

Runaway

June

Drifters

Homesteading in Tennessee

Guerilla Gardening

The Green Smoothie

Longevity

INDEX