I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said green vegetables are the top of my favourite vegetables list….but we all know they’re good for us. So why should we eat green vegetables – what’s in them that improves our health:
Green vegetables such as broccoli are high in fibre, folate, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and something called sulforaphane which may be cancer fighting (other vegetables which also include sulforaphane are; brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, cabbage). Spinach is also a good source of iron.
Here’s some simple ways to include these valuable foods into our diets without noticing their sometimes bitter taste:
- Smoothies – here’s a link to our Nutritionist Smoothie recipe which includes a couple of handfuls of spinach. Make sure you have some good sources of vitamin C in there to help the iron from the spinach more available for you to absorb.
- Protein balls – mash 1 banana with a fork and add a good handful of chocolate chips (some dried fruit too if you like), a good scoop of protein powder (we use pea which of course is green!), and mix altogether with rolled oats until the consistency is OK to roll golf ball size amounts in your hand. Once rolled into a ball then roll them in desiccated coconut or ground almonds. A great snack which when kept in the fridge will last you for 2-3 days.
- Wraps – this one is taken from my time in Sydney. Instead of wrapping minced meat in tortilla wraps, wrap the minced meat in gem lettuce leafs for a low carb option!
- Sauces – if you’ve got young children, you may find they’re not fans of greens. The secret in our house is to blend greens in a sauce, the easiest I find is in a tomato sauce such as bolognese. All kinds of vegetables get hidden in there.
- Dips – add some thinly diced cucumber to natural yogurt to snack on with carrot batons or sticks of celery or raw pepper.
- Salads – don’t forget no matter which green you use in salads, always add some vitamin C (e.g. lemon) to help release the iron from the leafy greens.
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A reminder:
- The information in this article is for educational purposes and should not replace medical advice.
- The information is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition.
- If you have a diagnosed medical condition, you should consult a doctor before making any major changes to your diet, and;
- Some supplements may interact with medications and you should check with your GP before commencing any supplement programme.
Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6173934/pdf/12889_2018_Article_6067.pdf
