3 Reasons to Drink Your Greens
By Genevieve Cunningham
Green food is one of the most important things to have in your diet. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean green Skittles or gummy bears. The green foods that should be in your diet include things such as lettuce, kale, peas, celery … you know, the healthy stuff! While some people love eating greens, many find them a little less appealing. And because it’s not a favorite for most people, it often gets left off of the menu. So what can we do to get more greens? Actually, it might be easier to drink them! Smoothies, breakfast shakes, juices … these options include plenty of greens mixed with other delicious fruits and veggies. Still not convinced? If you need to get more greens in your diet, but you’re not keen on crunching veggies, take a look at these great reasons to drink your greens every day.
It Might Taste Better
Greens generally have a fairly bland flavor. Unless you cover them in salt or butter or some other flavoring, they can be hard to stomach. And if you cover them in something like this, you’re negating the healthy benefits. But if you add your greens to a drink, it will probably taste a ton better. Mix your kale with a banana and some cacao powder. Add strawberries or blueberries or some other delicious fruit to your breakfast smoothie. Taking this approach to consuming your greens allows you to get the healthy benefits in a mouth-watering way.
It Changes It Up
While there are plenty of greens to choose from, many of us tend to eat the same old options over and over. And that can certainly get boring! Drinking your greens allows you to change it up from time to time. Maybe you eat kale chips for a snack today, but tomorrow you have a kale smoothie at lunch. You'll get kale in both meals, but they'll taste completely different. If you're one who gets bored with the same old foods and recipes, drinking your greens can help you change it up and keep it interesting.
It Adds Foods to the Menu
Mixing things together in a drink really changes what you can eat. Spinach tastes very different in a salad than it does when mixed with ice and berries. Everything tastes and feels different when it's made into a drink. So if you can't stand the taste or texture of celery, you can still keep it in your menu. This means that you can keep a larger number of foods in your diet, which also brings more nutrients and bigger benefits.
Consuming greens on a regular basis is definitely important. You need greens for their nutrients and for their effect on digestion and metabolism. While you can certainly eat greens in a traditional way -- salads, raw, sides -- you can also do it in a tastier way through drinks. Give this a try in your diet, and you may find that eating greens isn’t difficult after all, and instead is easy and delicious.
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