The researchers have discovered that a population of immune cells essential for your protection against “bad” bacteria in the gut could be controlled by leafy greens in your diet.
These immune cells are known as innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and they line your intestinal tract. They are also thought to be important players in controlling food allergies, inflammatory disease, obesity and may even prevent the development of bowel cancers.
When you eat leafy greens and digest them, your body is able to extract nutrients from these foods. These nutrients can also act as signals for your body’s cells causing them to turn on or off certain genes. A special gene called, t-bet, becomes activated in response to certain proteins coming from the green leafy vegetables we eat. When the t-bet gene gets activated, it increases the production of our innate lymphoid cells (ILCs). These ILCs protect our body against infections coming in through our digestive system, help to maintain a healthy environment of “good” bacteria, heal small wounds and abrasions that are commonplace in the gut and may also play a role in resolving cancerous lesions.
The discovery of these immune cells has thrown open a completely new way of looking at gut biology. We are just starting to understand how important these immune cells are in regulating allergy and inflammation, and the implications for bowel cancer and other gastrointestinal disorders such as Crohn’s disease.
-Dr. Gabrielle Belz – Lead Scientist of the study
So what are some cruciferous vegetables that will ramp up production of your ILCs?
Here are a few:
Kale (of course), collard greens, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, broccoli, bok choy, turnip + turnip greens, broccoli rabe, chinese cabbage, napa cabbage, watercress and rocket (arugula).
Here are some simple tips that you can add in to your daily routine so that you can produce more ILCs:
- Use your blender to make delicious and health-promoting green smoothies with one of the greens listed above at least once a day. Kale is a great choice as it tastes mild and is packed full of nutrition. A simple green smoothie recipe that tastes great is as follows: 1 mango, 1 banana, 1-2 cups of kale leaves (thick stems removed), 1 cup of fresh pineapple and enough spring water to just cover all ingredients in your blender jug.
- Use your juicer and make a fresh green juice once a day. A simple, healing juice that is quick, easy and incredibly healing consists of the following: 2 cucumbers, 1-2 ribs of celery, 1 green apple, 5-7 florets of broccoli, 1 inch piece of ginger and 1 peeled lemon.
- Try lightly steaming, boiling or water sautéing your vegetables. For example, steaming broccoli and then seasoning it with some organic tamari or Nama shoyu sauce and extra virgin olive oil with a hint of grated ginger is fast, tasty and extremely healthy.
However you choose to prepare your greens, the most important bit is that you actually eat them every day! Aim to consume 1KG of greens every day, half of which should be raw. If you’re juicing or making smoothies, you can accomplish this easily.
In the end, if you feed your ILCs the greens they love, your body will respond with increased health. When you start to feel better in your body, your thoughts also tend to shift into positivity. The idea is that to make a difference in how you think and feel, a fundamental place to start is with what you decide to eat every day. Both the food that you eat and the thoughts that you think interact to determine your overall health. You can explore this idea by adding more greens into your daily diet and observe how your body reacts. Are you feeling more energetic and light? Has your digestion improved? Are you craving other, unhealthy foods less? Has your mood changed?
References:
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. “Gene discovery reveals importance of eating your greens.” ScienceDaily, 3 Mar. 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Lucille C Rankin, Joanna R Groom, Michaël Chopin, Marco J Herold, Jennifer A Walker, Lisa A Mielke, Andrew N J McKenzie, Sebastian Carotta, Stephen L Nutt, Gabrielle T Belz. The transcription factor T-bet is essential for the development of NKp46 innate lymphocytes via the Notch pathway. Nature Immunology, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/ni.2545
