A Tasty Way to Eat Your Veggies

Written by Jordan Zelenky
Part of National Nutrition Month 2014

How many times have you been told to eat two or three servings of vegetables every day? If you’re anything like me, you probably hear that message all the time. Unfortunately, most people just don’t like the taste of those green, leafy veggies.

sliced fruit and spinach

Image by Jordan Zelenky

What’s so special about greens? Take spinach, for example, which is an excellent source of Vitamins K and A, and is very low in fat (Palmer, 2009). All of those benefits are great, but because spinach has such a bland taste, it is often excluded from my meals. I knew I had to start eating spinach because relying on broccoli and carrots to get enough veggies doesn’t provide enough variety, so I thought about adding spinach to smoothies.

blended fruits and veggies drink

Image by Jordan Zelenky

Smoothies are so versatile, which makes them an easy way to add new foods to your diet if you’re unsure about a new food’s texture. The thought of an overwhelming spinach taste in my smoothie made me nervous at first, but after my first try combining the ingredients the flavors were nothing but strawberries, bananas, and soy milk! The spinach blended into the flavors of the fruits perfectly, and I was left with my normal smoothie, just a little more green in color.

To make my smoothie, use 2 large strawberries, ½ ripe banana, a couple of ice cubes, ½ cup of soy milk, and a ¼ cup of spinach. Next, cut up the strawberries and banana, then combine all of the ingredients into the blender. Pulse the blender for 30 seconds, but you can adjust that time depending on the thickness you prefer. Try to come up with your own combination of flavors and veggies! I’d love to hear new ideas to mix up my routine ingredients.

References

Palmer, S. (2009). Spinach Flexes Its Mighty Nutrition Muscle. Environmental Nutrition, 32(3), 8-8.

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