When it comes to a well-rounded diet, meat and potatoes just don’t cut the mustard anymore; no longer is it acceptable to slide the vegies off the plate to save room for dessert.
As a dietician, Rebecca Monk from ripe health knows the ins and outs when it comes to nourishment and notes the integration of green vegetables into meals every day as the key to a healthy diet.
“All fruits and vegetables are really important; we talk about having a rainbow on our plate, in particular with vegetables,” she said.
Brimming with micronutrients, the benefits of greens are almost endless according to Rebecca.
“They can be beneficial in terms of weight loss because they are low calorie, the fibre component makes you feel fuller for longer and can help improve satiety levels,” she said.
Consuming green vegetables was once seen as a chore-like duty, with “they’re gross” used as the rationalisation for segregating them to the ‘not for consumption’ section of the dinner plate.
But with fancy new recipes emerging daily that use vegies in ways previously unimaginable, that excuse needs be tossed in the bin next to all the processed rubbish stopping you from leading a healthier lifestyle.
Super foods
Dark, leafy greens such as silver beet, kale and cabbage have been branded with the ‘superfood’ label in recent years.
Some may call it a marketing ploy, but it is no myth; greens are crammed with nutrients which can help keep away various illnesses and diseases.
“Vegetables are very important … for lowering the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, strokes and some types of cancers,” Rebecca said.
“They are high in folate, high in iron and high in phytochemicals, which are anti-cancer properties.”
A diet rich in greens can also assist in lowering blood pressure, eliminating risk of digestive problems and keeping your appetite in check.
How much is enough?
As a nation, it has become crystal clear that we aren’t up to scratch when it comes to meeting our dietary requirements.
A recent national survey showed 90 per cent of women were not consuming enough vegetables, with most hovering around 50 per cent of the recommended level.
Rebecca recommended having five serves of vegetables a day to meet that daily quota and keep you feeling full of beans.
“A serve of vegetables is equivalent to a half cup of cooked vegies like broccoli, or a cup of salad vegies such as capsicum, lettuce, cucumber, etc,” she said.
Dress ‘em up
Greens are widely regarded as belonging to the dinner plate’s domain, but there is nothing stopping you from supercharging a run-of-the-mill breakfast or lunch with a handful of fresh produce.
Rather than isolating your vegies, Rebecca advises to look for ways to incorporate greens into all daily meals and snacks such as adding them to salads, stir-fries and curries.
“You can blanch them, steam them, add flavour to them, even adding extra virgin olive oil can improve the nutrient quality,” she said.
And if flavour is a barrier, Rebecca talked about ways to mask the taste such as putting frozen spinach through a bolognese sauce or tossing several silver beet leaves into soup.
“It is just overcoming and putting some flavour in, whether it be adding herbs and spices or olive oil, things like that can really improve them.”
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