Thursday, July 28, 2011

Best Bets for Vitamin D

Herb enthusiasts will be pleased to know that dandelion {Taraxacum officinale) and stinging nettle {Urtica dioica) greens are great choices. One cup of raw, chopped dandelion greens contains about 100 mg of calcium. You can add fresh dandelion leaves to salad. Vinegar makes them less bitter, though that bitterness stimulates digestion. Fresh dandelion, netdes and calcium-rich parsley can be juiced or blended into smoothies. (Wear gloves when handling fresh netdes.




After they have been chopped or blended, they won't sting.) You can cook with both greens too, using them in the same way you use spinach. Last summer, I made a delicious pesto with basil, fresh netde leaves, olive oil, pine nuts and garlic. You can also make excellent dips and spread from legumes. A half can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) contains 38 mg of calcium, along with protein and other nutrients. Tliey generate acid, though not nearly as much as meat and cheese. If you blend those chickpexs with tahini (made from calcium-rich sesame seeds), lemon, olive oil and garlic, you get hummus.

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