7 Ways to Sneak More Leafy Green Vegetable into Your Diet
I knew I needed more leafy green vegetables in my diet, and so did my family. They’re certainly readily available here in Georgia—turnip greens, mustard greens, collards, spinach, lettuces of all sorts, plus the more exotic bok choy, rainbow chard, and kale.
But my husband turns up his nose at most of them.
So my question to myself was, “How can I sneak more leafy green vegetables into our meals?” Here are my solutions.
Salads
Salads offer minimal disguise. Most people tolerate the lettuce family, especially with the addition of other more interesting bits, like hearts of palm, olives, shredded carrots, and tomatoes. Choose the darkest leaved lettuces your can find, like romaine, for the best nutrition, and leave out the tough ribs. (If you don’t want to compost the ribs immediately, put them in your stockpot, or freeze them for later use when you’re inspired to have a stockpot.) People who say they don’t like spinach will frequently take to those bright green leaves when they’re raw and in a salad. Baby Mixed Spring Greens in your produce section can help you gently introduce additional salad greens for more variety.
Olives, hearts of palm, marinated artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, and other vegetables (fruits, too!) can add more interest. Be cautious with dressings, however. They can add flavor (and camouflage!), but they can also add unwanted calories.
Sauté
Cooking method can make a big difference. Many people are prejudiced against leafy green vegetables because they remember the overcooked, even boiled, globs from their childhood. Try cutting the greens into bite-sized pieces and sautéing them in coconut oil or olive oil. They’re done when the green color brightens. Give the chewier greens, like kale, just a tad longer to soften.
Sauce and Seasoning
A shake of salt and pepper may be all you need to tweak the taste of your greens. You can also add basil, Italian seasonings, and garlic. You might sauté a sweet onion until translucent and then add your greens. Or you may feel the need to disguise their natural taste a bit more. Try Greek salad dressing or (our favorite) a sweet chili sauce in the last few minutes of cooking.
Chop Chop
When you shred or chop your leafy green vegetables, you can sneak them into almost anything. Soups, stews, casseroles, pasta sauces or quiches can all profit nutritionally from added greens, while calling little to no attention to their taste. Another favorite for us is chopped spinach as a pizza topping. The cheese covers the taste, and the result, especially with pepperoni, is delightfully colorful.
Smoothie
A smoothie is a popular way to add less delicious nutritional elements (powdered protein, ground flax seeds, hemp hearts, and of course, greens) to your diet. A handful of leafy green vegetables will go almost unnoticed. Greens do, however, influence the color of your drink. If you’ve added banana, your color brightness will already be compromised, and the green addition won’t matter. But if you want a more cheerful-looking drink, add tart cherry juice.
Powered Superfood Greens
Drink your greens efficiently with powdered, freeze-dried greens. Just add a scoop to a glass of water, stir, and chug it down. Advantages to powdered greens include the readiness. No worries about keeping your leafy friends crisp and fresh and always on hand; just open the jar. Powdered greens are easily digested and can be mixed with whatever beverage suits your taste. Taste is probably the most important aspect of a powdered supplement, since the green taste is the primary reason people (like my husband) balk. At the low end, green leafy vegetables (especially overcooked ones) evoke swamp smells and tastes. At the high end, there’s a brisk clean green taste. Many varieties of powdered green superfoods include more palatable fruits, but the greens taste is always dominant. To counter it, instead of water, use orange juice or half water and half another strong flavored juice. (I do this most mornings, but I do not offer it to my husband!) Or you can pop a scoop into your smoothie, where it will go unnoticed. I’ve found two brands I particularly can recommend:
Organifi’s Green Juice is one of my all-time favorites. Its green taste is light, crisp, and minty. It mixes well with juices as well as water. Most importantly, it mixes easily and quickly–no power blades needed, just a simple whisk. It’s usually expensive, by my standards, but its ingredients list is top notch. Go here to have it delivered to you.
Amazing Grass’s Green Superfood has a very similar ingredients list at a more reasonable price. It also mixes easily and comes in flavors, which make the green taste more palatable. I like the Chocolate and the Berry. Go here for Amazing Grass.
Green Pills
Of course, with the powdered supplements, you still have the bother of mixing and cleaning up, so you might prefer a pill. Pills may be the sneakiest and simplest way to get your green nutrition. Just swallow a couple of nutrient-packed pills once or twice a day with your other supplements, and you’re done! My favorite source has just gone out of business, but when I find a new one, I’ll let you know. If you find one before I do, please let me know!
Here’s to the greening of your health!
Response Magic