30 Day Paleo: Day Four – Create a Vegetable Variety

Looking to make healthier choices? Perfect! This is Day 4 of 30 of my 30 Day Paleo Plan. For more information on 30 Day Paleo as well as 30 Minute Paleo, check out the get started page. Post each day on your 30 Day Paleo journey to Twitter or Instagram and show me by tagging me with @dranthonygustin — get after it! 

Eating green leafy vegetables is a very simple way to get many more nutrients on a daily basis. As a side, they provide plenty of fiber and nutrients and help to keep you full. Leafy greens and keeping a vegetable variety are great replacements for other sides such as grains, which trigger hormonal responses that lead to inflammation and fat accumulation. The large amount of micronutrients in greens will help to satisfy your appetite and balance out cravings for other energy dense sides.

For those who aren’t used to incorporating greens as a side to a meal, it’s common to think the only option available is a “salad.” While raw greens are great, there are plenty of different ways to prepare your greens. With so many options available, there is no reasons to ever get bored when you’re preparing your greens.

As an added benefit, different forms of preparation will lead to different nutrient availability. Cooking will break down some of the food and make certain nutrients available, but sometimes cooking will destroy delicate micronutrient structures. Try switching up your method of preparing your greens to reap all possible the nutritional benefits and avoid that blah feeling that comes from eating the same food over and over.

Here are a few possibilities for preparing your greens:

STEAMED

Use a steamer pot to keep the liquid separate if you have one, otherwise just place ¼” water in a pot and toss some cut up greens in there. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until the greens have cooked down considerably. Season well.

RECIPE: Cold Broccoli and Pepper Salad 

raw

Chopping up various amounts of green leafy veggies, adding some protein and coating with a little bit of olive oil can be an easy way get the best out of any raw green. Kale and chard can be a little bitter on their own and these steps can go a long way to make it delicious.

RECIPE: Kale and cabbage salad / Brussel Sprout Salad

Braised

Cooking some greens up with some good fat and or liquid then baking is a great way to get some additional nutrients. If not using liquid, greens such as kale will become crispy and tasty addition to other meals.

RECIPE: Chorizo Skillet With Braised Kale

sauteed

Chop up some garlic and onion and cook down with some ghee or coconut oil. Once translucent, add in some greens. Add a little bone broth, white wine, or water and some chopped greens and stir for 3-5 minutes or until greens are cooked down. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Lemon and Garlic Steamed Greens

Make eating a large portion of greens a daily habit. Switch up how you prepare the greens so you don’t get sick of them. Create a vegetable variety!