7 Sneaky Ways to Eat More Leafy Greens

There’s a good reason everyone is always saying to eat your greens. It’s because you’d be hard pressed to find foods which are more nutritionally dense than leafy greens like kale, chard, beet tops, spinach, and cabbage. Each one has a different nutrient profile and they definitely aren’t created equal, but these are just a few of the nutrients you can expect to get:

• Vitamins A, C, K
• B Vitamins
• Iron
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Potassium
• Antioxidants
• Omega 3 fatty acids
• Fiber

Here’s the problem: it can take some time to learn to love the bitter taste of leafy green veggies. Our advice? Figure out how to integrate them in tasty ways and it’s a win-win. If you’re needing some inspiration or just a quick fix, use these tactics to sneak more greens into your diet.

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Green Smoothies

This is a classic move but for good reason. When kale is blended with frozen banana and berries, you won’t even realize it is there – aside from the green color, that is! If you want to mask the appearance as well, try adding some other pigmented fruits like colorful berries to fool your eyes too. Click here for a great simple recipe by Brand New Vegan!

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Green Popsicles

While you make those green smoothies, go ahead and save some extra to freeze. You won’t find a more refreshing and healthy summer treat! Live Eat Learn shares the perfect recipe here.

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Pesto

Pesto is traditionally made with ground pine nuts, olive oil, cheese, and basil. Just add some spinach or chard to the mix and you’ve got another serving of leafy greens without even noticing. To make this plant-based and equally delicious, go ahead and swap the cheese for nutritional yeast, which gives you some B12 and tastes awesome in the process. Click here for Cookie and Kate’s easy recipe!

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Kale Chips

You may want a dehydrator for this one, but making these in the oven works great too. Season to your liking with some salt, garlic, and oil to get a crispy and insanely healthy treat. Check out the recipe by Fit Mitten Kitchen here.

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Homemade Bread

Go ahead and throw some chopped-up (or blended) greens into the dough. This is especially a great way to sneak greens to picky kids too. If you’ve never made bread before, here’s your chance to try! Get Plenteous Veg’s recipe here.

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Making Salads More Exciting

Leafy greens can have a bitter taste, so they need to be balanced out with a contrasting flavor profile such as savory or sweet. This salad recipe here combines these flavor elements perfectly. Use the recipe as a starting point to experiment with other exciting combinations, such as spinach with walnuts and pomegranate in a sweet creamy dressing. Yum.

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Put Them On Your Pizza

There’s no reason that pizza can’t be both healthy and delicious. Layer on some chopped leafy green veggies and hide under some dairy-free cheese and you won’t even realize you are eating greens. Click here for This Savory Vegan’s simple recipe!

 

How do you like to integrate greens into your diet? Let us know!