Eating my greens

[Jennymary]

I really don't like vegetables, but after a recent visit to the Optician, means I may have to start liking them, I've been told my eyes are showing signs of 'wear and tear' and I need to be eating green leafy vegetables which I really don't like, I live on my own so I can't have a small spoonful of my partners, any advice on how I can start to incorporate this into my diet would be gratefully received.  Enjoy the rest of the Bank Holiday, love and hugs x

[Activity2004 Administrator]

Have you tried a small salad to start with and if you learn to like that, make yourself a big salad with veggies you are willing to eat every day?  I love big salads!  They help keep the blood sugars somewhat under control and you can use up items in your home that are either in cans or bags.  Works good for recycling day each week!

[craftinglady]

Get a Ninja ore have a look on the Jason Vale website it is easy

[BadHare]

Hi Jenny,

I eat soup & use a hand blender, which you might find will mask the veg you don't like, & also stir fries with coconut oil.

M*

[deejames]

Make soup and throw in Greens or spinach then blend the lot. Delicious. 

Frozen spinach comes in little cubes. Defrost a few and add to pasta sauce.

Salad with a good dressing.

Steamed broccoli stems with nutmeg and butter.

[Raksha1964]

Hate them to I hide them in soup, smoothies & blend or in casserole or stew take some gravy out add to greens, blitz & put back in meal

[libbydaniels88]

spinach is best for eyes - try it in quiche or home made lasagne

[Hidden]

Since they are finding out that good fats aren't evil, I make salads with spinach mixed with leaf lettuce, other veg's chopped up, topped off with shredded cheese and chopped ham or turkey. Then to avoid the added sugar in salad dressings, sprinkle on some herbs or an herb blend, a little salt and pepper, and dump on olive oil. I know broccoli isn't a leafy green, but it's real easy to find cheesy broccoli casseroles online that make that vegetable edible again!

[wottos]

Although popular culture would suggest that vegetables are the source of everything healthy, this assertion is not actually supported by any robust science.

I am guessing your optician may have made this suggestion because leavy greens are a good source of vitamin A and are high in two types of antioxidents called lutein and zeaxanthin, which are though (although there is no proof) to aid in maintaining eye health and potentially preventing deterioration that can come with age.

There are 2 broad types of vitamin A: carotenes and retinol. Retinol is the form of vitamin A that your body needs, but you can only get retinol from animal foods. Carotenes come from plants.

The body can covert carotenes into retinol, but it is not very good at doing this.

Thus I would advise you eat foods rich in retinol: liver and eggs are good. Also egg yolks are a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin! So you have all the bases covered.

An interest aside - when some vegans revert to eating animal products (it does happen) many report an improvement in their vision.