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Antioxidants with DGLV Soup : make your eyes wonderful Aditi M Sengupta, Harvard Medical School, Post Graduate Association A conversation between two friends on a Friday evening in Winter at Michigan as an essential part of their Faculty/ Staff discussion in the coming week: Dan is married, in the present situation his wife and two children are out of town. Bob is still a bachelor and is enjoying his days. Dan: Yes, Bilberry is a very powerful supplement of antioxidants. All of the antioxidants are important for eye health.Vitamin C and E , selenium and a source of anthocyadins such as bilberry all are important. Bob: Consider also Red Wine- a very enjoyable way to get those powerfully- antioxidant anthocyanidins; I personally enjoy several ounces daily:-) It does not matter what kind, as long as it is dark red. If your eyes are in bad shape it might be a good idea to supplement with a bilberry prep for sometime in addition to the wine. Dan: Lutein may act as an antioxidant, good for the eyes, and the rest of the body, looks like in literature it is good for preventing colon cancer. Bob: Yes, Yes, it comes in Dark Green Leafy Vegetables (DGLVs for short). They act as angelic forces for anitioxidants. Then both decide to eat something for dinner at home and they come up with the following receipe: After tasting, their unanimous comment was: This is not a speculation but this receipe makes for a TASTY soup! Everyone who tries it, likes it. One good batch of DGLV soup every week should give you the blast of lutein that you need. Two per week would be better, if you can do it. So Dan and Bob came up with a receipe that was written for people "in recovery" from serious illnesses and makes their eyes beautiful by the care they have shared on returning home, from the loving care of the Hospital Staffs and Volunteers. Special Receipe: DGLV Soup We mentioned how dark green leafy vegetables have the highest density of antioxidant and health-protective factors. In this special receipe, we end up with a creamy, savory, and amazingly tasty soup from dark greens. Buy fresh Dark Green Leafy Vegetables(DGLVs) such as Kale, swiss chard, collards, turnip, mustard or dandelion greens and boxes of frozen spinach; a box of the spinach in the refrigerator overnight, so that it will be soft the next day.Put two cups of water in the blender, and add a few pinches each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and other seasoning or two(whatever is handy; oregano, cumin, basil, etc.)Then add a teaspoon or two of vinegar, a dash tobasco sauce or equivalent, and a tablespoon of soy oil.Set the blender on high, and begin adding bits of your DGLVs--both the spinach and the fresh leaves.Add them slowly enough so that the blender does not get bogged down.You may have to add a little more water if it does.You should add at least a half package spinach, or more, and a couple big handfuls of fresh greens. Once all the greens are added, let it blend for another minute.Then pour in a saucepan and warm it up.It usually does not require real cooking, only bringing it up to pleasantly- hot before serving. This receipe makes 3-4 cups of soup. That might sound like a lot, but wait until you taste it!It goes down easy, and you'll be wanting seconds or thirds. Variations and notes: * You can toss in other stuff, such as small onion, or a clove of garlic, for extra spice. You can also use soup stock (turkey, chicken, pork) instead of water; this makes for a very rich and delicious soup!Some of these DGLV soups are so tasty that they can be used like a sauce, poured over other steamed vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower, or yellow squash. * Don't forget the soy oil! This receipe depends on the oil; without the oil, the soup has that spartan taste usually associated with dark greens. Other oils such as olive oil, can be used. We prefer soy oil for its high omega-3 content. remember that soy oil and DGLVs are fair sources of omega-3 fats, themselves. Vegetarians who want to further boost their omega-3 intake, without resorting to fish, can add a teaspoon or two of flax oil to the mix.This makes for a very omega-3 rich soup-- so tasty that you hardly notice that the flax oil is in it.We have tried adding a teaspoon of fish oil to the soup and, remarkably , it tastes just fine.So, use your imagination and try different ways of boosting your Omega-3 intake, using this basic DGLV-soup idea. * If you really want to be indulgent, you can put grated cheese or parmesan cheese on top of the soup. hardly necessary, but good if you feel something extra-rich. Sign up for this treat: Everyone who tries this soup is surprised -- sometimes amazed -- at how tasty it is.It is a way of eating large servings of greens that are otherwise bitter or unpleasant, but prepared in this way they are delicious. Try it and see for yourself. Access to your Good Health: It may seem like we've spent a lot of time on this one receipe.That's right, we have. That's because DGLVs are important for everyone, and are exceptional brain food for people in recovery.They are a fair source of omega-3s and a great source of folic acid, fiber, chlorophyll and antioxidants.They are among the very best detoxifying, healing and rebuilding foods. It is easy to say "eat your greens", but who actually does it? With this receipe, you will find that it takes discipline and persuasion to recover. Acknowledgements: 1.Ved Vignan Mahavidyapeeth 2.Harvard University, Dept. of Continuing Education, and Harvard Life style Institute. 3. American Red Cross 4. Veterans" Affairs Hospital- Vountary services and Library resources. Special thanks to: My Parents & Alan E. Lewis for able support in accomplishing this task. Copyrighted 2010
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