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If there is one thing you can do for your health, weight, and long-term wellness that everyone agrees on, it’s to eat more greens.
No matter what diet plan you look at, no matter what expert you hear from, this is the one area where everyone agrees.
So today, with spring right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to go green by counting down my top 5 ways to eat more greens. I’ve got tons of cooking and eating ideas to get your greens on, so you can have abundant energy, better sleep, greater overall health, and an easier time losing weight.
Let’s go green!
#5: Braised Greens
Braising greens yields tender, flavorful results, so I love to braise tougher green vegetables like cabbage, kale, artichokes, kohlrabi, and root vegetables like beets, turnips, and rutabagas. (Okay, so those last few aren’t actually green but they are too good to leave out! And you can throw in their greens and braise them too, just like you would other leafy greens.)
Not sure how to braise? Think low and slow. Melt your healthy cooking fat on your stovetop. I like coconut oil because of its high smoke point.
Add your vegetables, along with a healthy dash of sea salt (Celtic Grey, Himalayan, or Redmond Real Salt), pepper, and any seasoning you want to add like herbs, spices, shallots, or onions. Then you want to add a little bit of liquid so your veggies won’t dry out. You don’t need much and you can either use water or vegetable broth for some added flavor. Cover and cook on low heat until tender, which will take anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes, depending on the veggie.
#4: Roasted Greens
This is my favorite trick for anyone transitioning off of sugar. Roast, roast, roast green veggies and all veggies. It brings out the natural sugars in the vegetables so they get a sweetness that you don’t taste when you eat them other ways.
Roasting means cooking in the oven, often at a high temperature of 400 degrees or more. It’s a dry heat, unlike braising, so depending on what you’re roasting and for how long, you often get a satisfying crunch and caramelization on your greens when you roast.
The great thing about roasting is that it’s set it and forget it cooking. You toss it in the oven and 15 to 45 minutes later, depending on the veggie, it’s ready to eat.
Roasting hearty greens like kale, chard, mustard greens, and collards with a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil, some garlic, sea salt (Celtic Grey, Himalayan, or Redmond Real Salt), and pepper makes a delicious side dish or main course.
I also love to roast broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, savoy cabbage, green beans, and asparagus – really just about any of the cruciferous or sulfur-rich vegetables.
The downside, is at the high temperature, will cause some degradation of nutrients. If you have a dehydrator, you can get a SIMILAR taste and feel as roasting, but the enzymes and nutrients are all active.
#3: Sautéed Greens
You might think of sautéing as being similar to braising – you do both in a pan on
the stove. But that’s where the similarities end. Sautéing vegetables is much faster and uncovered, so it works best with veggies that are somewhat tender to begin with like:
-
Chard - Arugula
- Spinach
- Watercress
- Asparagus
- Bok choy
- Leeks
- Peas
- Bell peppers
- Zucchini
ChardWith those greens, try to flash sauté, which means no more than 4 minutes to preserve as many nutrients as possible. You’ll notice your greens will be bright in color. That’s the perfect time to eat. Remember this if you’re hungry but you want and need a nutrient-packed, alkaline snack because you can have some delicious sautéed greens in less than 5 minutes.
Green veggies like Brussels sprouts, green beans, and celery might need a few minutes longer.
When you’re sautéing, you’ll need to start with a healthy fat in the pan and coconut oil (or avocado oil) is your best bet because it won’t overheat, unlike olive oil (and most other oils) that can go rancid at too high a temperature. And feel free to throw in any herbs and spices you want to try. There really are no wrong answers, as long as it tastes good.
#2: Steamed Greens
Steaming is incredibly versatile. It will work with just about any veggies you want to eat.
Again, I like to flash steam, which is a technique I learned in my training to become a certified raw foods chef. So I place the greens in a steamer basket for no more than 4 minutes with any aromatics and seasoning you want to include.
What you need to know about steaming is that it, in and of itself, does not have any healthy fat that you use to cook when you braise, roast, or sauté. So it’s important you build in extra flavor, and I like to include healthy fat. For instance, if I steam some kale, I’ll eat it along with half an avocado so I’m getting some good, nourishing fats too.
You can also drizzle some healthy oils on top, such as EVOO, MCT, Coconut, Avocado, Black Cumin, Macadamia Nut, etc. Adding oils is a great way to get the 7-10 servings of fats I recommend on a daily basis (2 to 3 servings per meal at 3 meals / day)
#1: Raw Greens
This is the best way to go green because you get the most nutrients from raw foods.
Here are some easy options for eating more RAW greens:
- Dipping raw veggies like celery, bell pepper, broccoli, and cucumber in hummus or guacamole.
- Smoothies! Always add raw dark, leafy greens to smoothies. Each and every one of the smoothie recipes on our blog includes greens, so check them out for ideas and inspiration.
- Prep salad ingredients in advance and store in small containers so you can grab a side salad anytime you’re hungry.
- Raw soup makes an easy dinner that is so full of nutrients, you will feel absolutely awesome after enjoying them.
- Raw zucchini noodles can be flash sautéed if you want to add flavor, but they’re great raw too. Just add sea salt (Celtic Grey, Himalayan, or Redmond Real Salt) and pepper.
Many people get nervous about transitioning to an alkaline lifestyle because they think they won’t survive without pasta, but zoodles are an excellent swap. And really, it all comes down to making a healthy sauce that tastes amazing!
Bonus: My absolute favorite way to get more raw greens is to drink them in less than 30 seconds! That’s why I created Alkamind Daily Greens in the first place.
Did you know that in addition to getting 5 whole servings of greens in each tiny scoop of Daily Greens, the #1 ingredient in our greens is organic wheatgrass? It’s actually over half wheatgrass.
What sets Alkamind Daily Greens apart from the competition is that the wheatgrass is broken down into a powder in a way that it’s practically predigested for you – with little to no degradation whatsoever. So you’re going to absorb more of the wheatgrass and other beneficial ingredients. Other brands cannot say that.
We’ve combined that with 4 different sprouts, spinach, moringa, lemon, kale, cabbage, parsley, dandelion, beets, broccoli, celery, and SO much more! So by taking your Alkamind Daily Greens first thing every morning, you’re getting a dose of the most powerful, alkaline, GREEN food on the planet!
One scoop gives you FIVE servings of organic greens, with no messy cleanup, cost effective, and easy to do!
GET OFF YOUR ACID!
Dr. Daryl
