The Beyond Keto lifestyle is all about anti-inflammatory, healthy foods that support gut health, brain health, and immune health. Unsurprisingly, it includes a lot of greens! In fact, when you eat more green within Beyond Keto, you’ll encourage full body health every day.
However, sometimes it can seem challenging to eat more greens. If it were easy, we’d all get enough each day. Here are 7 hacks that will make it so easy for you, you’ll always get enough! Try our 7 Hacks to Eat More Greens this Spring!
Why Eat More Greens?
No matter what type of diet you follow, many of the healthiest foods you eat will be greens.
In fact, when you eat green vegetables, your body receives many health benefits benefits including (1):
- Nutrients that support healthy cells and fight cell overgrowth
- Insoluble fiber for digestive health
- Prebiotic fiber that feed healthy gut bacteria
- Cholesterol-reducing stanols and sterols
- Nutrients that promote cellular detox
- Anti-inflammatory nutrients
- Antioxidants that fight free radicals
- Energy-promoting nutrients and b-vitamins
- Support healthy moods and low risk of depressive symptoms (2)
- Much more!
Convinced? Yes, indeed. Now, learn how to get enough greens every day.
The Best Beyond Keto Greens and Fermented Vegetables
First, get to know the best vegetables for a Beyond Keto lifestyle. Here’s a list of low-carb veggies:
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Green Beans
- Asparagus
- Bok Choy
- Leek
- Spinach & Green Leafy Vegetables
- Avocado
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Radish
- Cabbage
- Brussels Sprouts
- Herbs like basil, oregano, mint and more
How can you add more?
7 Hacks to Add Beyond Keto Greens and Fermented Vegetables
1. Add Fermented Green Supremefood®
Divine Health has created an amazing powder to help Beyond Keto eaters to obtain the vegetables they need, in the most nourishing form.
Specifically, our Divine Health Fermented Organic Green Supremefood® contains organic carrots, beets, parsley, spinach, kale, broccoli, cabbage, onions, and pea protein. Why is this important?
Fermented vegetables have been exposed to yeast or bacteria, or fermenters. These fermenters eat natural sugars and starches in the food, thereby changing it.
What changes take place? Fermented foods contain (3):
- Decreased Sugar. Fermentation vastly decreases sugar, since it has been used as food for the fermenters. The remaining sugars become more easily digestible.
- More Nutrients. As bacteria ferments the foods, it breaks down tough fibers and makes nutrient available to humans for absorption. This means many vitamins, minerals, and nutrients become easier to digest and absorb.
- Healthy Bacteria. As the fermenters proliferate, healthy bacteria multiply.
- Natural Food Preservation. Byproducts of fermentation, like alcohol and lactic acid, naturally preserve food.
- Better Proteins. As fermenters eat, they often alter proteins such as gluten, making them more digestible.
In healthy individuals, fermented foods fortify the digestive tract with more healthy bacteria. This can crowd-out and starve unhealthy bacteria and yeasts (4). What’s more, by protecting gut health, they can even reduce the toxicity and build-up of heavy metals in the body (5).
Fermented vegetables also improve immune function, dental health, promote weight loss and improve skin condition.
2. Start with Breakfast
If you’re going to add greens each day, don’t wait until dinner. Instead, start with breakfast. Try a quick spinach and egg omelet, avocados on Keto toast, greens in your smoothie, and/or warm green tea. Don’t let the day get away without adding greens from the start!
3. Add More Avocados to Your Diet
Since avocados offer many vegetable-like nutrients AND healthy fats, they are perfect for Beyond Keto.
What’s more, avocados are extremely versatile and flavorful. They can take an otherwise bland meal to the next level.
Use avocados for fat bombs, avocado chocolate pudding, and guacamole.
And, if you’ve gone dairy-free and miss cheese, add avocados to dishes. The rich, delicious avocado flavor will help you forget about any dairy you used to have.
4. Snack on Greens
If you normally eat small snacks between meals, choose greens! Some favorite snacks include:
- celery sticks
- cucumber slices
- steamed broccoli and olive oil
- green tea
- half an avocado with salt and pepper
- keto guacamole
Choose snacks that serve and purpose and fortify your body. Don’t let your snacks be a waste.
5. Grow Your Own Greens
Take advantage of spring and summer, and grow your own greens. In fact, keeping a garden (even a container garden) provides many health benefits. Amazingly, just spending time outside and putting your hands in soil promotes healthy moods, brain function, sleep, energy, and more (6).
In addition, you’re likely to eat more when you’ve grown them yourself.
6. Consider What Chlorophyll Can do For You
If you take time to realize just want chlorophyll can do for your body, you may be motivated to eat more.
Chlorophyll is the lifeblood of plants. When consumed by humans, it’s one of the best energizing foods. Similar to hemoglobin, chlorophyll carries nutrients in the blood. However, it doesn’t carry iron. It carries another energizing mineral, magnesium (7). Magnesium supports the production of energy throughout the body as well as healthy sleep cycles.
Furthermore, chlorophyll helps alkalize the body and urine pH. This supports liver function and helps the body remove toxins like metals, pesticides, and more.
Chlorophyll is found in most raw, live greens and Divine Health Fermented Organic Green Supremefood®.
7. Sneak Greens into Shakes and Smoothies
If you’re in the habit of making delicious Beyond Keto Smoothies, make sure to add a cup of greens or herbs. You won’t likely notice them, and they add a nutrition punch to a food/drink that would otherwise not contain them.
Try adding spinach, green mixes, basil, arugula, and more.
“Green smoothies” are a refreshing, detoxifying, energizing, satisfying, gut-improving meal. One of our favorites: Energizing Basil Smoothie!
8. Make Concentrated Vegetable Soups or Fresh Salads
You can pack a lot of healthful green vegetables in a pureed soup. These vegetables are easy-to-digest since they are cooked and pureed. What’s more, when made with healthy fats, they are a great Beyond Keto choice.
While it’s still cold, try our Keto Zone Broccoli Puree Soup. Then, enjoy springtime weather with loads of leafy greens or this Creamy Cucumber Salad.
9. Use Low-Carb Keto Zone Vegetables in Place of Grains at Dinners
You know the drill: Cauliflower mashed potatoes, rice, and pizza crust. Zucchini noodles. Lettuce wraps for tacos and burgers. While these choices may be a bit cliche’ within low-carb eating, they are delicious and effective.
Not only do they help you omit harmful inflammatory carbs they pack a nourishing punch. You’d never get this from a taco shell, white rice, or pizza crust.
10. Enjoy Stress-Busting Green Tea
Green tea is a wonderfully nourishing drink. It packs so many nutrients, it can affect your brain, metabolism, and every cell in your body.
The main catechin and nutrient is green tea is called Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG). It is responsible for most of the health benefits, of which there are many (8). They include:
- Optimal cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and reduced cholesterol plagues
- Healthy cells and reduced cell overgrowth
- Healthy brain function (9)
- Antibacterial nutrients that support oral health
Eye health - Energized metabolism and healthy weights
Initially, green tea’s benefits were attributed to caffeine. But recent studies have shown these effects in caffeinated and decaffeinated green tea (there’s actually little caffeine in green tea to begin with). The studies have used both green tea “extract” as a concentrated form of antioxidants and regular, brewed green tea.
Add green tea to your day to drink and eat more greens!
Bottom Line
The benefits of fermented vegetables, grasses and greens are far-reaching. Your body needs more. Use our 10 Hacks to Eat More Greens this Spring. You’ve got nothing to lose, and many, many health benefits to gain.
