Dieting can be overwhelming with endless options claiming their research provides health and weight loss. With our nation’s health issues on an all-time high, making better food choices begins by including vegetables. Let’s be real, plant-based nutrition, especially green vegetables, are the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet they are nutritional cornerstone of any diet.
Jayson Calton, Ph.D., published the results of a study he conducted in the journal Economics and Human Biology. In it, his results showed that participants had an 80.8% higher chance of being overweight or obese due to micronutrient deficiencies compared to those who were not micronutrient deficient.
Vegetables are packed with dietary fibers that are critical to metabolic activity and increase gastrointestinal health, which boosts your metabolism and controls hunger. Dietary fibers pass through the gastrointestinal tract to assist in the removal of waste by attaching to toxins and excreting them out of the body.
Consume more vegetables daily by having salads, baking or grilling, eating them raw, and making smoothies. Replace your starches by doubling the number of vegetables. Add extra veggies to your salad, soup, pasta, sandwich, pizza, and omelet. Dip your vegetables in healthy sauces like red pepper hummus, Greek yogurt-based ranch, and avocado dip.
Every morning, I wake up and make a double smoothie and take them with me to work. I love the timesaving aspect, as well as the energy and the nutrition that they provide, which help me perform optimally! I enjoy drinking them with something solid added in, like avocado chunks, nuts, olives, or dark chocolate. It saves time, and I receive the energy that I need!
If you are new to the smoothie world, start with milder greens like Swiss chard, beet greens, or spinach, and avoid bitter ones like arugula, mustard greens, and turnip greens. If you need it to be sweeter, try liquid stevia, add a protein powder, or use a quarter of a frozen banana to mask the taste of the greens.
