Green vegetables are gloriously good for you. Truly they are. But do you know precisely why they’re so wonderful? Or how many you should be eating each day to reap the benefits of these miraculous creations?
We asked Monique Bolland, director of NuZest Australia and founder of Alkaline Spa & Clinic, to explain why green vegetables have such a superb reputation and which ones we should be snacking on to help improve our overall health.
What is the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of green vegetables?
“The official RDI guidelines encompass all fruits and vegetables, rather than having a specific allocation to greens alone. Guidelines suggest three to five servings of vegetables per day, with one serve of raw leafy greens equating to roughly one cup.”
What are the health benefits of eating green vegetables daily?
“Leafy greens are full of vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytochemicals. They are rich in fibre and also contain a lot of water, helping to keep you hydrated. Leafy greens are often particularly rich in calcium and potassium, which is important for bone health and blood pressure regulation.”
Which green vegetables are the most nutritious?
“You can’t really go wrong with fresh leafy greens like kale, Swiss chard, spinach, barley leaf, wheatgrass and broccoli. They are full of vitamins A and C, along with folate, potassium and fibre. Sea greens like kelp are also a great source of vitamins and minerals.”
What’s a tasty (but easy!) way to eat green vegetables?
“A great way to top up your green’s consumption is to use them in smoothies. Try blending together 50g fresh kale leaves, 50g fresh spinach leaves, two frozen bananas, one pear, ½ cup almond milk, one tbsp ground flax seeds and ice. Slowly add water until your desired consistency is reached.”
What if you struggle to eat green vegetables on a daily basis?
“If you are not consuming the recommended intake of greens, fruits and vegetables every day, you would benefit from a food-based supplement like NuZest Good Green Stuff ($79.95, 300g). It’s packed with over 70 ingredients like fruits, vegetables, herbs, berries, vitamins, minerals, probiotics and anti oxidants, and helps cover any gaps left in your diet.”
Do you eat a lot of green vegetables? Which ones are your favourite? Do you have any meal or smoothie recipes for those looking to add more green vegetables to their diet?
A lot of green veggies are migraine triggers for me. I can handle capsicum, celery & a few others. I take wheatgrass every morning, too.
I find that food-based supplements are costly. I prefer to prep the daily green intake than the latter. I understand the importance of RDI of green Intake. Reading this makes me keen on finding out recipes and methods to increase my RDI.