{"id":2441,"date":"2015-08-19T13:01:40","date_gmt":"2015-08-19T13:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/?p=2441"},"modified":"2015-08-19T13:01:40","modified_gmt":"2015-08-19T13:01:40","slug":"best-ways-to-add-more-greens-to-your-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/2015\/08\/19\/best-ways-to-add-more-greens-to-your-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Ways to Add More Greens to Your Diet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>\u201cEat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.\u201d &#8211; Michael Pollan<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no denying that a plant-based diet is one of the healthiest on the planet, especially one jam packed full of leafy green vegetables that are nutrient-dense, full of fiber, low in calories and containing cancer-fighting properties.<\/p>\n<p>While eating a salad is a wonderful way to consume greens, it isn\u2019t the only option. Here are some simple ways to sneak more greens into your meals:<\/p>\n<h2>Get blending<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_2443\" style=\"width: 354px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/notahipster\/8761976567\/in\/photolist-emgqnv-emnc7b-5W6Bei-nUamUK-nUJoar-dgnCGB-dgnCHV-4K1RxF-aoLXwC-5EatXW-ikcDJG-5Eayvu-ij41w6-dCtMPC-bwNQ6z-if4SPA-tekChA-hPzJKs-bhw3pc-bomanE-bJTLHR-cQqeES-htvBB8-nbUG6h-pudjJw-mTLwh2-jqkxhE-e2SoP3-ajQG5p-hpMvR1-kDuNau-c3feDU-biHh5D-biHh34-biG6vX-biHh4n-beVdTB-5HZDem-5HVmU6-6epdQZ-cfcqF5-eTVfZs-4K1S6r-62cVWj-dgnCJV-dgnEQy-8cAJBs-fuPqCt-chRGBG-nWDiZ3\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2443\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2443\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/8761976567_552820279d_o-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"green smoothie\" width=\"344\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/8761976567_552820279d_o-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/8761976567_552820279d_o-1024x682.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/8761976567_552820279d_o.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 344px) 100vw, 344px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2443\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Flicker<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Green smoothies are a quick and easy way to consume more greens. Many recipes call for ingredients such as cucumber, kale and spinach that contains vitamins A, C and K and minerals such as potassium, iron and phosphorous. Start the day with a green smoothie or have one as a snack. If you\u2019re time poor, great powdered options include <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/Martin-Pleasance-Vital-Greens-Phyto-Nutrient-Superfood.html\">Vital Greens<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/Lifestream-Ultimate-Greens-120-Vegetarian-Capsules.html\">Lifestream Ultimate Greens<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Toss them in<\/h2>\n<p>When preparing meals, think outside the culinary box and look for opportunities to toss in greens. Here are some examples of how you can add more green vegetables to plain meals:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Omelettes and pancakes &#8211; add parsley, chives, spinach, green onion and kale<\/li>\n<li>Sandwiches, burgers, tacos &amp; wraps &#8211; add different types of lettuce, herbs, watercress, arugula, sprouts, spinach, avocado and cucumber<\/li>\n<li>Pizza &#8211; add broccoli, zucchini, green capsicum, spinach and kale<\/li>\n<li>Stir-fry &#8211; add bok choy, choi sum, Chinese cabbage, string beans and broccoli<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Use herbs<\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_2442\" style=\"width: 354px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.suzette.nu\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2442\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-2442\" src=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/4615709577_a0e0792909_o-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"add more greens to your diet\" width=\"344\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/4615709577_a0e0792909_o-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/4615709577_a0e0792909_o.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 344px) 100vw, 344px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2442\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Growing herbs is easy and with an increased interest in urban gardening, most people have herbs (and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/Vogel-Sprouter-Mini-Greenhouse.html\">sprouts) on hand in their kitchen<\/a>, in pots on their balconies or growing in their veggie gardens. Basic herbs such as parsley, coriander, mint, basil, chives, thyme and rosemary can be used in many dishes, adding more flavour and increasing your green intake. Don\u2019t forget to add herbs to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>dressing &amp; sauces<\/li>\n<li>soups<\/li>\n<li>cooked breakfasts<\/li>\n<li>meat balls<\/li>\n<li>fritters<\/li>\n<li>pasta<\/li>\n<li>stews<\/li>\n<li>burger patties<\/li>\n<li>curries<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Swap where you can<\/h2>\n<p>Another way to increase greens is by swapping to <i>greener <\/i>alternatives wherever possible. Instead of using wraps, tacos or pastries, replace with lettuce (think <i>san choi bao<\/i> style). Rather than opting for packaged potato chips, make kale chips or zucchini chips. Make broccoli mash instead of plain potato mash.<\/p>\n<h2>Eating out<\/h2>\n<p>Many of us eat out and there is nothing wrong with this so long as you aren\u2019t always choosing fast food and eating \u2019white\u2019 food options that are devoid of colour and therefore nutrients. When eating out, we suggest that you choose a restaurant that requires you to sit down so that you are able to process the menu rather than making a quick decision on the run. Also choose a restaurant that offers many fresh and whole food options. When it comes to ordering, select a dish with plenty of greens such as salads, stir-fries and wraps. If your main meal is more protein-based, make sure you order a side salad or a side of green beans to up the nutrients.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>Many of us associate eating greens with ordering or preparing a salad but this need not be the case. If you implement these tips, you\u2019ll be on your way to increasing your green nutrient intake and improving your overall health.<\/p>\n<p><i>For more health tips, recipe ideas and exclusive subscriber discounts, don\u2019t forget to <\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/\"><i>sign up to our newsletter.<\/i><\/a><i> <\/i><i>For tailored healthy eating plans contact Vive Health on 07 3399 1002.<\/i><\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cEat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.\u201d &#8211; Michael Pollan There\u2019s no denying that a plant-based diet is one of the healthiest on the planet, especially one jam packed full of leafy green vegetables that are nutrient-dense, full of fiber, &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/2015\/08\/19\/best-ways-to-add-more-greens-to-your-diet\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98,4],"tags":[382,383,384,386,387,388,385,230],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2441"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2445,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441\/revisions\/2445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vivehealth.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}