Tips To Turn Your Plate Green

Submitted by Serena Mason on May 31, 2010

There many ways in which you could introduce vegetables into your diet. The importance of vegetables and fruits cannot be undermined when it comes to providing the body with essential vitamins and minerals. Vegetables provide the body with iron, folic acid and can be rich sources of Vitamin C, riboflavin, Vitamin B12, minerals and trace elements.

Try wrapping portions of meat, rice, cheese or any condiments in various greens and serving this. Add cabbage to your diet as this contains bioflavonoid and is also a great source of anticancer antioxidants.

Green pepper is also a great source of Vitamin C. Try adding spinach or broccoli to your diet as they are a great source of iron and fiber. Spinach also contains lutein which is a substance that helps in preventing macular degeneration which is an eye disorder that causes blindness.

Olive oil is a great source of monounsaturated fat. Drinking plenty of water is also essential. Water helps to flush out the toxins present in one’s system and also helps in giving the person a feeling of being full, thus preventing them from eating too much.

Water helps a person’s body to metabolize all the food that has been consumed. It also converts the food consumed into energy. Opt for vegetables that have been stirred or steamed or baked as opposed to vegetables that have been deep fried or over cooked.

Try and opt for organic vegetables and fruits as far as possible, as these do not contain any pesticides and will be fresh and healthy. Avoid any greens that are packaged, tinned or processed. One should always wash the vegetables first, and then cut them. To steam vegetables, try to suspend them in a vessel over a hot pot of water, if one does not have a steamer. There are some leafy green vegetables that one will not be able to steam as these will just become a pulpy mess. For these vegetables try lightly boiling them instead. If you overcook or steam the acids that are found in these vegetables tend to destroy the chlorophyll that is present and kill some of the nutrients besides making the dish unappetizing. Try cooking them in water. One can even make a great soup with a lot of these greens which is very nutritious and healthy.

For those greens that tend to be bitter try adding some nuts to them like almonds or raisins. Frozen food is considered by many to be as good as any fresh foods. One can add to this by cooking up some fresh vegetables and adding them. One can even add cheese or a little bit of olive oil or balsamic vinegar to the dish.