Views from the Shore
With St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, we start seeing green everywhere — decorations, shirts, even bagels. It got me thinking about another kind of green that many of us probably don’t get enough of: leafy greens.
If I’m being honest, getting enough vegetables — especially greens — has always been a challenge for me. Like a lot of people, I try to eat healthy, but between busy schedules and the usual dinner routines, it’s easy to fall back on the same meals. And sometimes those meals don’t include nearly as many greens as they probably should.
Fortunately, one of the perks of working at Shore is that I have access to experts when it comes to nutrition. So, I reached out to Tiffany Rios, RD, CDE, with the Shore Physicians Group Endocrinology Division, to ask a simple question: What are some easy ways for people like me to get more greens into our diets?
The trick, she said, is finding ways to incorporate greens into meals you already enjoy. She shared a few simple ideas that even someone like me can manage.
One of the easiest strategies is adding greens to sauces. Spinach, kale or even finely diced zucchini can be blended right into red pasta sauce. It makes the sauce more nutrient-dense without really changing the flavor. Greens can also be mixed into pesto alongside olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
Foods like spinach, kale, arugula and broccoli are packed with important nutrients including vitamin K, folate, magnesium, potassium, iron and antioxidants. These nutrients help support bone health, healthy blood cells, blood pressure regulation and more. The encouraging part, Rios explained, is that you don’t need a dramatic diet overhaul to see benefits.
Rios recommends sautéing or roasting the vegetables before adding them to sauces for added flavor. Cooking them with a little olive oil not only improves flavor but also helps your body absorb fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin K.
Another surprisingly simple option is smoothies. A handful of spinach blends easily and has very little flavor when combined with fruit. Rios suggested a smoothie with spinach, frozen berries, almond milk, and either protein powder or Greek yogurt.
“Spinach blends well and almost disappears in a smoothie,” she said. “You’re getting nutrients like folate and magnesium without really noticing it.”
Her third tip was one I hadn’t thought of: mixing vegetables directly into proteins like burgers or omelets. Grated zucchini and chopped spinach can be mixed into chicken, turkey or beef burgers along with ingredients like onion, egg and breadcrumbs. The zucchini actually helps keep the burger moist while adding extra nutrition.
If you’re interested in trying it yourself, you can find a Spinach Chicken Burger recipe here:
https://somethingnutritiousblog.com/spinach-chicken-burgers
Eating healthier doesn’t have to mean a complete diet makeover. Sometimes it can be just about sneaking a handful of greens into the foods you already enjoy. And with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, maybe the luck of the Irish isn’t finding a pot of gold, it’s finding a few easy ways to get more green onto the plate.
Brian Cahill is the Director of Marketing for Shore Medical Center and Shore Physicians Group. He also volunteers on the Board of the Somers Point Business Association and is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Business at Stockton University.
