We're big believers there is no such thing as too many greens. But we know it can be hard to find fun ways to add them into your diet. Sure, we all know about the classic salad, our tried and true leafy green friend. Yet sometimes a salad just isn’t going to cut it—especially when you don’t feel like going through the whole chop, mix, and shake ritual. Don’t worry, we’re here to help! We’ve compiled ten easy and tasty ways you can get more leafy greens into your everyday diet that are going to help you mix it up and leave the salad at the salad bar.
How To Incorporate More Greens Into Your Diet
Pro Tip: Remember when you’re exploring leafy greens to add into your diet, the darker the green color the higher it is in nutritious value (and the better it is for you). Always try to opt for those darker shades of green to get a
rich dose of vitamins like A, C, E, K, folate, and antioxidants.
1. Get Your Juice On
Juicing may sound complicated—but it doesn’t have to be. Forget wringing out leaves of spinach, a juicer does all the heavy lifting for you. Some great options to try out in your next drink are kale, spinach, swiss chard, beet greens and, (believe it or not) even dandelion greens. You’d be surprised how delicious greens can be when you experiment and mix different vegetables together. Better yet, ditch the machine and try a Green Juice Cleanse which we've put together with taste and nutrition in mind. There are 3-4 lbs of 100% organic ingredients cold pressed into each bottle.
2. Wrap It In Green
You’ve probably had the cousin of the sandwich before, the wrap. But if you haven’t tried a lettuce wrap you’ve been missing out. It’s easy to swap out a tortilla for a crisp and refreshing leaf of lettuce. You can use any leafy green you want, but we recommend romaine lettuce, boston lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or even some blanched collard green leaves. It’s a great way to get the nutrient benefits of greens without being weighed down. For all the texture-lovers out there, the lettuce provides plenty of crunch.
3. Go For A Spin
Try drinking your greens as a smoothie. It’s a great way to get your daily intake of vegetables when you’re on the go or as a nutritious snack. The best part is that you can get creative and add anything you want. Some of our fave go-to options are spinach, kale and swiss chard.
Pro Tip: If you are new to blending your greens we recommend spinach as it tends to have a milder taste.
4. Hide And Go Green
This tip is especially good for those picky eaters in your life (and a handy trick for kids and adults alike): hide leafy greens in other foods. Incorporating leafy greens into foods like burgers and meatballs will only help you. Simply choose your main protein such as beans, beef, turkey or anything you like and combine some finely chopped spinach to the mixture before you form it into patties or balls. You may not even taste the greens but your body will still get the benefits. It will be our little secret.
5. Get A Little Saucy
There truly is no better way to jazz up a meal and pack in a ton of flavor by adding a tasty, nutritious sauce. This is the perfect time to sneak in those leafy greens. Simply swap out your normal red pasta for a fun and unique green pasta sauce. Use spinach or the greens from beets and blend them raw to make some marinara sauce. Want to make a cream sauce? No problem, just add some avocado, grated cheese and milk and blitz in a blender or food processor. Feel free to season and add any herbs you like (you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this ages ago).
6. Scramble It Up
If you’re an eggs lover then this one's for you. While you’re scrambling away in your skillet, take the opportunity to add in some leafy greens. Just roughly chop them up (or don’t, your choice!) and mix them in. Be sure to add them in near the beginning of cooking so they get fully combined with your eggs. Good options to use are spinach and swiss chard but feel free to experiment. For a peppery flavor, try arugula.
7. Sprinkle It In
If you’ve never tried a green powder then let us introduce you. They are a dietary supplement designed to be mixed into water, smoothies, and other liquids. The ingredients such as leafy greens are usually dried and then ground down into a fine powder. It’s basically concentrated green vegetables often ranging from 25-40 or more different
ingredients. Now that’s a lot of bang for your buck. Look for a variety of green powders at your grocery or health food store. There are a ton of options available to you including gluten-free, vegan, and sweetened variations. That being said, to keep it on the healthy side try and aim for less than five grams of sugar per serving.
8. Snack On It
Stop! Now remove your hand from the bag of chips and put them down slowly. We have a healthier choice for you that is bursting with all the same flavor and crispiness but with way more nutrients. We’re talking about kale chips. Full of powerful antioxidants and an excellent source of vitamin C and K, kale chips are low calorically but still fill you up. The best part: they are super simple to whip up. Clip the kale leaves off of the stems, coat in a light layer of olive oil and season your way. Pop them in the oven for 10m at 300F, flip and then bake for another 15 minutes. Snack to your heart’s content.
9. Soup It Up
Sometimes it’s good to go back to basics. In this case we mean getting those leafy greens into a vegetable soup. Not much can beat a warm and inviting bowl of soup—not to mention it’s hard to beat the nutritious value. We like arugula, swiss chard, collard greens, kale and spinach but feel free to go wild and add all the veggies you like. For thicker greens, add them in earlier so they have more time to soften. For the delicate leaves like spinach, add towards the end of the cooking process so it doesn’t overdo it.
10. Add Some Flare
The last, but certainly not least, way to add some leafy greens to your diet is with garnish. The fun part here is you have so many herbs and greens to choose from. Everything from basil, parsley (curly or flat), cilantro, to microgreens. These are all great ways to add more flavor, nutrition, and flare to your dishes. Sprinkle some greens on top and, voila, you have a meal that looks like it came straight from the restaurant.
Enjoy The Power Of Greens!
With those tips, you're on your way to packing some serious leafy power into your diet. You’ll be a pro at finding opportunities to add more leafy greens to your daily diet in no time. To keep the green times rolling, try our
Green Cleanse to nourish and energize your body from the inside out with our delicious juices and smoothies.
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