Remember your parents always telling you to ‘eat your greens’? They were right – green vegetables should be the pillars of a healthy diet. Easier said than done! The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) have found that “adding more spinach, kale, collards, and mustard greens to your diet could help slow cognitive decline” due to their “vitamin K , lutein, folate and beta-carotene content”. This is all well and good, but what if you have a picky eater at home? Or perhaps just can’t seem to enjoy the taste and texture of green vegetables? And what if you don’t know how to prepare them? Read on for a handy list of six different ways to sneak more greens into your diet.

Smoothies & Juices

Green smoothies and juices are a fantastic way to cram extra nutrients into your day. They’re an especially easy method of consuming greens as the ingredients have already been blended up, so you don’t have to try chewing your way through an entire stalk of kale. Use flavourless greens such as baby spinach, kale, or chard, or if you’re feeling a little adventurous, go for some parsley and dandelion leaves. 

Sauces & Dips

Trying to consume greens if you’re not a big fan of them is never an easy feat, which is why hiding them is the perfect solution. Dips such as pesto are perfect as they can be smuggled in anywhere you would use any other variety of sauce. 

Wraps & Sandwiches

Wraps and sandwiches are a fantastic option because they’re usually crammed with so many other flavours, leaving the greens almost unnoticeable. Use tortilla wraps as a starting point – add your favourite vegetables, then try adding texture with crunchy cos lettuce, or some bitter rocket for a sharper taste.

Stir–fries

Known for being the quickest and arguably most delicious way to ramp up your vegetable intake, stir-fries are also the perfect place to sneak in some extra greens. When wilted, greens like spinach and bok choy are the perfect vessels for tasty sauces, and provide additional texture and bulk. 

Soups

The beauty of soups is that they have the ability to mask both texture and flavour of the ingredients used – no more limp broccoli or soggy silver beet! Top tip – pouring soups over greens may sound strange, but it’s rather tasty!

Epic salads

Last but not least, the most obvious way to prepare greens – in a salad. However, salads aren’t all limp lettuce and soggy dressings - try this crunchy Apple and Walnut Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing. Greens need not be eaten with a wince, nor grudgingly added onto your plate at the last minute. Make them a main component of a flavoursome dish, whether that is a wrap, salad, or soup, and you’re bound to end up with something a lot more enjoyable!