Going Green: How to Include More Greens in Your Food

We all know it’s important to eat our greens; we’ve known ever since we were kids and our mothers insisted that we finish the portions on our plates. However, with so much enforcement on the consumption of those leafy greens, it’s safe to say that many of us developed a natural resistance to them.

Soon breakfast started to look like eggs and toast, bacon as a side on some days.  Lunch/dinner is usually soup or a sandwich, which may have one small serving of greens but nearly not enough. If we eat out, it’s usually even more dire: pizza, pasta, burgers, and a side of fries over salad of course! Delicious, sure, but sorely lacking nutrition—after all where are those green veggies that your mother dearly wanted you to take a liking to?

So, the thought of making healthy choices doesn’t entice your palate, right?

Here is what we’d like to say—nutritious food doesn’t have to be bland or unappetizing! Healthy can most definitely also mean delicious. Many, many meals from around the world have incorporated greens in ways that don’t compromise on flavor or quality. Indian cuisine is one great example, and you’ll see how as you read on.

Why Go Green?

Besides the obvious reason we’ve all heard—”eating greens is good for health”, there are numerous more specific benefits to consuming greens on a regular basis.  Elements like iron, niacin, fiber, vitamin B12, and many others can all be found in abundant quantities in many of the greens we eat such askale, spinach, fenugreek, and parsley. Getting enough of these nutrients in our diets has proven to improve overall health, aid in the prevention of life-threatening illnesses, increase our fitness levels and robustness, and enhance our physical skills and abilities, including those like eyesight, the restfulness of our sleep, and the recovery time after physical injury.

How to Include More Greens?

With a solid understanding of why eating greens is a good idea, let’s commence a discussion of how exactly to get these greens into your diets easily and deliciously. Whether it’s adding spinach to your omelets, baking kale chips for a snack, or falling in love with the creamy palak paneer, there are myriad ways you can begin to eat the healthy counterparts every day without sacrificing tastiness.

The first step in including more greens in your life is to take stock of what your current diet consists of. Are you a meat and potatoes kind of eater? Do you eat out a lot? Are you a meal prepper? Since your meals can look so different, it also means incorporating green vegetables will be different for each individual too. No matter what the case though, there’s a way to do it, so look no further!

Breakfast

If you’re a breakfast-on-the-go sort of person, green smoothies are a fantastic way to eat more greens. Kale, peanut butter, banana, some frozen berries, plain yogurt, and ice will blend together to make a delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-consume breakfast that gives you a huge boost in green-vegetable nutrients that you wouldn’t find elsewhere. If you’re staying in, try adding a handful of your favorite greens to your morning omelet. You’ll find that the greens cook right in and don’t compromise flavor or texture at all. However, the nutrition quotient goes notches higher. Alternatively make batches of green-heavy salads and take out a small portion for every meal.  Add a dressing, and there you have delicious greens to dig into. Win-win, isn’t it?

Lunch

For lunch, double up the greens on your sandwich by including alfalfa sprouts as well as lettuce or other leafy greens. Soups also make a great base for nearly every green vegetable you can think of: green peppers, celery, broccoli, peas, and more—all have the potential to find a special place in soups of various kinds, from split pea and ham to cream of broccoli. Don’t be afraid to experiment to find what tastes best suit you!

Dinner

Dinner will never look the same for you! Pairing greens with your main dish isn’t just something you do for health. Some of the best-cooked meals in the most famous restaurants in the world come with greens alongside them. Steamed or oven-roasted kale with lemon juice and pine nuts, for example, is practically a meal in itself, but it also goes really well with chicken or red meat. Lighter fare, such as a garden salad, will match a fish or seafood dish perfectly. Next time you’re dining out, take a look at the restaurant’s menu for inspiration! Or rely on good, old Google. The pairings with greens are uncountable.

Green Indian Cuisine

Got a soft spot for Indian food? You’re not alone! At Sukhi’s, we’re confident that our products are some of the most delicious you’ll find anywhere. Tried our roasted tomato curry with kale and chickpeas? Or make your own version. Pick any of our curries, add a side of greens as discussed above and you have a full meal—protein and all the vitamins and minerals!

Alternatively, whip up delectable dishes in your own kitchen. Spinach acts as a great base for a variety of Indian dishes. Heard of the popular palak paneer? Paneer though is just one option, blended spinach can be added to any chicken gravy, or any other saucy dish that you’re familiar with. This bolsters an already delicious meal with the nutritional fortitude of spinach, replete with iron and many other important minerals and vitamins. After all where did Popeye get all his strength from?

So, we hope that alongside our discussion of all the delicious ways you can include greens in your dishes, we have you thinking about how to incorporate them into your next meal!

Bon Appetit!