The Easiest Way To Eat More Greens And Vegetables
Vegetables are not fun to eat. Leafy greens are the worst! I always used to struggle with getting my daily five servings of fruits and vegetables. I’d either eat too much fruit and no vegetable or I’d go through the entire day without eating something green and be faced with enduring a huge salad for dinner. Not pleasant!
A lot of research suggests that those who eat more fresh fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of chronic disease. The Centers For Disease Control (CDC) says on their website that getting at least 5 servings each day may lower the risk of “type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and perhaps heart disease.” Weight loss is also cited as a benefit. I can attest to that!
How To Get 5 Or More Servings Of Fruits And Vegetables The Easy Way
When I heard about green smoothies, I was intrigued. It sounded like an ingenious way to sneak more vegetables into my diet. I was skeptical about the flavor, though. Let’s face it, a bright green smoothie doesn’t exactly scream “drink me”.
The first one I made used banana, spinach and water. It was simple, bright green and tasted like….banana! I quickly expanded this recipe to include tomato, carrot, spinach and at least 2-3 fruits to mask the flavor. It was tasty!
In less than a week, I went from struggling to get my 5-a-day to eating almost 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. The best thing about it was that I was enjoying the flavors of fruit without tasting all the veggies!
How Many Greens I Eat In A Week
After doing more research into diet and nutrition, it became apparent that I should strive to increase my intake of leafy greens. In the fantastic book, Green for Life
Last week, I kept track of what my wife and I ate and our intake of leafy greens for a seven-day period in November were the following:
- 3 large bunches of organic dandelion greens
- 1 bunch of organic collard greens
- 4 bunches of organic Swiss chard
- 3 bunches of fresh, organic dill
- 1 bunch of fresh, organic parsley
- 4 pounds of organic baby spinach
- 1/2 tub of organic arugula
- 1/2 head of organic green cabbage
- 1 bunch of organic kale
About 90% of these greens were consumed in green smoothies. On average, my wife and I drink two smoothies each day. There is absolutely no way I would have eaten this amount of greens by themselves or in salads!
How To Get Started
If you’ve never had a green smoothie before, take it slow. Try the simple banana recipe with spinach. If you don’t like banana, try it with pear, mango or peach. Be sure to check out our article on how to make a delicious green smoothie. You can experiment with different fruits and greens to find a combination you like, or sample any of our recipes on our website.
I have been drinking green smoothies every day for two years now. I have experienced the health benefits, weight loss and increased energy. I have also naturally gravitated toward a healthier diet and eat a lot less junk food. Green smoothies changed my life and I bet they will change yours too!
Tags: arugula, cabbage, collard greens, dandelion greens, dill, Green Smoothies, greens, kale, Nutrition, parsley, spinach, swiss chard
