By Michelle Vodrazka, Nutrition Coach, Sports Nutritionist, Yoga Instructor, and Personal Trainer.
You know that green leafy vegetables are good for you, but you just can’t seem to compel yourself to eat them. Maybe it’s the taste, maybe it’s the texture, or maybe you don’t know how to use them, but whatever the reason, you just aren’t getting enough of them in your daily diet. Adding leafy greens into your diet doesn’t have to feel like a chore, if you follow these easy tips.
- Sneak them into smoothies. This is by far the easiest and in my opinion, tastiest way to get your greens in. I like Cookin’ Greens because they are already washed, chopped and frozen, which helps make smoothies even colder and creamier, which is how I like them.
- Sneak them into soups. This is my second favourite way to ensure I get my daily dose of greens. Simple chop up your greens and when your soup only has a few minutes left to cook, add them into your soup.
- Make or buy kale chips. My kids adore kale chips – as do I – and they disappear within minutes of being removed from the oven. Here is a great recipe for cheesy kale chips.
- Start with a salad. Digging into a big bowl of leafy greens when you are hungry is a great way to ensure you eat a lot of them.
- Juice your greens. If you own a juicer, you can easily sneak a bunch of leafy greens into your delicious juice without even noticing any difference in taste.
- Bake them into your burgers. I sneak all sorts of greens into burgers – kale, spinach and specially swiss chard. Greens make baked burgers juicier and if you chop them up finely enough, no one will even notice they are there.
- Whip up an omelette. Omelettes are one of the easiest ways to incorporate greens, even for those of us who struggle in the kitchen. Just make sure to chop them up finely.
- If all else fails, try a powdered greens drink. Powdered greens drinks are great for when you are travelling and don’t have access to fresh produce. One of my favourites is Genuine Health’s Greens + O, which comes in a variety of different flavours.
