Day 13.... Collards promote brain function

Ok so, today I had juice in the morning and ate chicken, mixed berry nut salad and collards and a mix of baked potatoe, carrot and sweet potatoe.  The Idea is to fill your plate with 3/4 veggies and 1 quater protien or starches.  I also made fresh bread and corn bread....MMMMMM  I prepared a yummy desert Chocolate to die by... (Sugar free pudding was used in recipe)  I had a little tablespoon size taste lol

Weight is the same no loss today still down 15.5 poundls in 13 days.  Day 14 I will fast with just juice again. 

I also did not work out it was my day off...(plus I had company and I slaved in the kitchen all day and sweated enough lol

Collards, I put the stems aside for juicing...

Citrus chicken in the Newave machine!

Carrots, sweetpotatoes, and potatoes... in lemon, tyme and rosemary with a little olive oil.

Chocolate to die for...Kaluha fudge cake, chocolate putdding, cool whip, fudge frosting, cocoa powder and confectionay sugar with shaved dark chocolate!!! Gazillion Calories lol this is a treat... Can only have it once a year lol

Baked fresh artisin bread and corn bread!

Collards, also called collard greens, have a mild flavor that becomes more bitter as they grow. They also become more bitter once they begin to wilt.
Collards can last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. To prevent wilting, store them wrapped in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag.

Collard greens are packed with nutrition.  As other vegetables in the cabbage family,
collard greens provide anticancer properties.  They offer an excellent source of
vitamins B6 and C, carotenes, chlorophyll, and manganese.  One cup of collard greens
provides more than 70 percent of the RDA for vitamin C.  Collard greens are also a
very good source of fiber, and several minerals, including iron, copper, and calcium.  
They also offer a good source of vitamins B1, B2, and E. 

Serving size:	100 g (about 3 cups)
Region:	Brazil, Portugal, Brazil, Portugal, the Southern United States, many parts of Africa, Montenegro, Spain, Africa, and the Southern United States

Health benefits of Collard greens

• Wonderfully nutritious collard leaves are very low in calories (provide only 30 cal per 100 g) and contain no cholesterol. However, these greeny leaves contain very good amount of soluble and insoluble dietary fibre that helps control LDL cholesterol levels and also; offers protection against hemorrhoids, constipation as well as colon cancer diseases.
• Widely considered to be healthful foods, collards are rich in invaluable sources of phyto-nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as di-indolyl-methane (DIM) and sulforaphane that have proven benefits against prostate, breast, cervical, colon, ovarian cancers by virtue of their cancer cell growth inhibition and cytotoxic effects on cancer cells.
• Di-indolyl-methane has also found to be effective immune modulator, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties by potentiating Interferon-gamma receptors and production.
• The leaves are also an excellent source of folates, provides about 166 mcg or 41.5% of RDA. Folates are important in DNA synthesis and when given during peri-conception period can prevent neural tube defects in the baby.
• Fresh collard leaves are also rich in vitamin-C. Provides about 59% of RDA per 100 g.  Vitamin-C is a powerful natural anti-oxidant that offers protection against free radical injury and flu-like viral infections.
• Collard greens are also an excellent source of vitamin-A (222% of RDA per 100 g) and flavonoid poly-phenolic anti-oxidants such as lutein, carotenes, zea-xanthin, crypto-xanthin etc. These compounds are scientifically found to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A also required maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is also essential for vision.  Consumption of natural fruits rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• This leafy vegetable contain amazingly high levels of vitamin-K, provides staggering 426% of recommended daily levels per 100 leaves. Vitamin K has potential role in the increase of bone mass by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone. It also has beneficial effect in Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain.
• Collards are rich in many vital B-complex groups of minerals such as niacin (vitamin B-3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6) and riboflavin.
• The leaves and stems are good in minerals like iron, calcium, copper, manganese, selenium and zinc.

Culinary uses

Both stalks and leaves are edible. Tough stalks and thick leaves are trimmed using paring knife. The leaves should be chopped in to smaller sections to aid quick cooking.
Extensive cooking may result in loss of some amount of vitamins like folates and vitamin-C. 

Here are some preparation tips:

• Collard greens blend very nicely with either salads or with cooked meat or fish dishes.
• The fresh leaves can be also used as fresh juice along with fruit juice.

Safety profile

• Like other members of the brassica family, collards may contain goitrogens which may cause swelling of thyroid gland and therefore, should be avoided in individuals with thyroid dysfunction. However, it may be used liberally in healthy person.

• Should be used sparingly with people suffering from oxalate kidney stones.

• 100 g of raw collard greens provide more than 500 mcg of vitamin K well above daily recommended value; it is therefore, should be used cautiously in people taking anticoagulants like warferin.

This information is not to treat any medical issues someone may have it is only to help you understand the importance of power foods and how they work.