In ‘Micros are Major,’ the importance of getting plenty of micronutrients to ensure you have the most nourishing diet possible is a prequel to this. Micronutrients, or ‘micros,’ are found mostly in vegetables and fruits. Micros are nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
But, what if you don’t like vegetables or fruits? What if you turn green over any food that’s leafy and green?
That’s okay! Many of us simply don’t enjoy the bitter taste of vegetables. Vegetables are naturally bitter-tasting to us humans, which is often a turn-off to eating them. To encourage you to eat more fruits and veggies, it’s best to find a simple preparation method to enhance the flavors for you to actually enjoy them.
For example, I don’t like boiled or steamed Brussels sprouts, but I love them roasted and crispy from the oven. You have to find an enjoyable way to eat them, because you’re not going to eat something you don’t enjoy. Obvious, but true.
How to Make Veggies Appealing
If you want a great resource on ways you can prep and enjoy your vegetables, check out this infographic — it’s outlines the best way you can make yourself eat your veggies (and maybe actually like them). Sometimes you simply need to trick your adult brain into being a toddler again and “‘hide” the veggies in your recipes if you’re feeling extra creative. For example, smashed peas can be added to your avocado toast, with a dash of sea salt. (Don’t knock it until you try it.)
If your creativity is dead and you find you still can’t make yourself eat ample fruits and vegetables, then this is where supplements can be useful, especially a type of supplement that is increasing in popularity recently: greens supplements.
What are Greens Supplements?
Greens supplements are from whole foods (such as vegetables, fruits, algae, and grasses) pulverized into a powder form. The powder form makes them easier to consume if you don’t like eating leafy greens. Greens supplements are an excellent option when a diet is low in fruits and vegetables (and could therefore be lacking in micros). If you’re regularly consuming 3-5 or more servings of vegetables or fruits, you’re most likely getting ample micros. But not many people eat that many servings each day, putting you within a spectrum of micronutrient deficiency.
These deficiencies may not show-up clinically (or be asymptomatic, without symptoms), but that doesn’t mean that this type of low-grade micronutrient deficiency isn’t affecting your health. To learn more about greens supplements, I recommend reading this great resource from Precision Nutrition that really dives into the details.
The Downside of Greens Supplements
One of the downsides to greens supplements is that they’re considered a vegetable and fruit replacement. But please know: They aren’t meant to act as an absolute substitute to eating your micros. When you replace vegetables and fruits in your diet with a supplement, this can lead to increased hunger. Depending on what else you eat, vegetables can leave you much more satiated for longer than a more calorie-dense food. This is because vegetables are higher in volume while also being lower in calories.
When you’re attempting to lose weight, for example, eating higher-volume and lower-calorie foods like leafy greens can help keep you full for longer. This generally leads to you feeling less cranky (or “hangry”) and ultimately more successful with your weight loss. Yes, “hangry” is totally a scientific term.
How to Find the Right Greens Supplement
If you search for greens supplements, you’ll find dozens of brands to choose from, so how do you know which one to use? You’re in luck. For information on the best greens supplements to use, check out Barbend.com’s Best Green Superfood Powder Drinks review: https://barbend.com/best-green-superfood-supplement-drinks-reviews/. In this review, they taste test and review several green superfood supplements to try to help you make the best decision without spending a ton of money sampling all of these. (They know what they’re talking about because they even demystify the faulty opinion that your liver needs “detoxifiers” to help it — thank you for the facts, Barbend.)
Another great source of reviews for greens powders and supplements is at https://www.jenreviews.com/best-greens-powder/. In this review, there’s a variety of brands to better help you choose the best one.
Summary
In summary, try to eat a serving of fruits or vegetables in at least one meal per day. Just one. Then, try to build this up to 3 meals a day if your digestion handles it well. Next, find a way to prepare your fruits and vegetables that makes them taste good to you so you can eat more. Sneak them into your foods if you have to trick yourself. If you’re still not getting enough fruits and vegetables into your diet, then use a greens supplement. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure there are no interactions with medications. Ultimately, remember, “Greens supplements aren’t meant to act as an absolute substitute to eating your micros.”
How do you eat more vegetables? Do you have a sneaky way of convincing yourself to eat more greens? If so, please share your ideas in the comments so we can help more people get more micros. Sharing is caring, right?
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
If you want to learn more about flexible eating and how to fit in more fruits and veggies, comment below or email me. I’d be more than happy to help you make sense of it all.
If you want to have your macronutrients or a customized nutrition plan created for you and paired with attentive coaching, then check-out my Services page to see what I offer. Message me and we can arrange a time to chat for a free chemistry call.