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How important are leafy greens?


newwhole30er

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I did my first Whole30 close to 2 years ago, have done several Whole30s in the interim as well as for the most part completely staying off gluten/dairy/sugar in between, and now am planning to basically eat Whole30 (with small exceptions like for condiments that have 1g of sugar or less, etc.) until I reach my goal weight. I'm saying this so you know this isn't a case of someone who's just starting out and shouldn't take too much on at once, or of someone who just needs to let their taste buds adjust. 

I HATE leafy greens. I've tried so many different recipes for spinach and kale- sauteed with olive oil and garlic, in scrambled eggs, creamed with coconut milk, in a salad. I actually don't mind baby spinach in a salad with a sweet dressing, especially also with nuts/fruit, but I am trying to stay away from sugar/honey, fruit and nuts as those are all FWOBs for me. I'd also be okay with them in a green smoothie, but again, trying to stay away from fruit, as well as smoothies for that matter.

I love and eat lots of: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage (both green & red), romaine lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes. 

So, how important are the spinach & kale? Are they so amazingly healthy that it would be worth adding some sugar/nuts (while not on Whole30) in order to eat them? Should I keep trying to choke them down? (I literally gag when I eat them cooked and I'm not a picky person in general, it's so rare for me to have that reaction to a food.) Am I missing out on something vital for optimal health, or am I getting enough goodness from the veggies I do love and eat?

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While leafy greens are great, if you're eating romaine/dark lettuce and not iceburg I think those count as leafy greens, so you aren't missing out. If you absolutely hate spinach/kale, I wouldn't force yourself to eat it or add sweet things to get it down. There are other foods with the fiber, minerals, and other benefits that you can eat instead. Just my 2 cents. 

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OK, so I made a salad with baby kale, avocado oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, honey mustard and salt and it was actually good!! I finished the whole thing and did NOT gag! I definitely like it better raw than cooked, and I think the honey mustard was a great way to add a little sweetness/flavor without being very sugary.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/21/2017 at 1:45 PM, Crastney said:

Have you tried Kalettes?  they're like mini kale sprouts - grown on a big stick like sprouts (Brussells sprouts), and allowed to 'flower' like kale/cabbage, but picked small.

I've never heard of them! Sounds very intriguing; I wonder if we can get them in the states?

Stephanie

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8 minutes ago, Bellmaestra said:

I've never heard of them! Sounds very intriguing; I wonder if we can get them in the states?

Stephanie

We call them 'sprouting kale' in Ireland if that helps.

Samphire is another good one to try - tastes kind of salty, and is great with fish.

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If you're eating other brassicas (cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, Bsprouts), I wouldn't stress at all about not being into spinach or kale. Anything you have to force down (assuming you're a healthy, well-rounded eater) isn't worth the effort. And definitely don't compromise on sugar just to get them in!  I'm in full support of you abandoning your effort to force leafy greens ;)

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