Turn Over A New Leaf

Packed with nutrients, leafy greens give Nicholai's diet a healthful boost. I can't (and don't) trust Nicholai's health to a morally bankrupt commercial food production system, so years ago, I started making food for him – and all my dogs, of course.

Dogs are quintessential omnivores, able to digest plant and animal foods. A critical component of the anticancer canine diet – conspicuously missing from commercial foods – is greens, greens, and more greens. Fresh leafy greens are best, home-grown fresh greens are even better. Fresh, raw food contains the highest concentration of live enzymes, which perform essential functions for the plants, allowing Nicholai (or any discerning omnivore) to derive more nutrition from the plant foods he eats. In addition, the proteolytic enzymes in some leafy greens are anti-inflammatory. Leafy greens lose most of their enzymes and some of their vitamins and minerals when cooked, so chopping, mincing, or pureeing makes for easy eating without destroying the valuable nutrients. When I blend up veggies for the dogs, I make sure my concoction tastes good to me and I have found over time that if I like it, the dogs will too. (Funny, because I'm quite sure I will never like green tripe but the dogs gobble it up like candy.)

A quick guide to leafy greens:

Kale: Contains a highly absorbable form of calcium, essential for bones and teeth. Loaded with beta carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which can prevent cataracts.

Chard: Swiss chard is loaded with carotenoid antioxidants. Chard also contains an ideal balance of potassium and sodium for regulating an animal's electrolyte balance.

Collard greens: Contains unique nutrients that support immunity and protect against cancer, as well as being packed with vitamins, minerals, and a dose of omega-3 fatty acids.

Turnip greens: One of the best sources of vitamin K, which enables recovery from wounds and scratches.

Romaine lettuce: An excellent source of vitamin C and beta carotene. Like many other dark leafy greens,it contains potent anti-cancer compounds.

Spinach: One of the few excellent plant based sources of iron. It also contains calcium, B vitamins, lutein, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals.

Arugula: This delicious salad green is rich in magnesium and potassium, and has a bold,nutty taste that many animals love.

Mustard greens: A great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K. B vitamins and minerals abound as well.

I grown these leafy friends in a backyard garden; this way, I can simply walk outdoors and snip the greens, still pulsing with the life of sun and soil. I blend them in a food processor with bits of cabbage, zucchini, carrots, a touch of beet, celery, and always apple (keeps the doctor away) and blueberries (antioxidant powerhouses). The carrot, apple, and berries sweeten up the mix, and really, it's quite tasty.

Even traveling, I find it simple to pack or purchase fresh veggies and blend them up each day. Sometimes I wonder if these humble garden greens might be Nicholai's best medicine.