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ForEliteAtheletes to FunRunners
19
It’s something I’ve been told all my life. I have a vivid
memory of being in the school lunch hall when I was
about 9 years old. The rest of my class had finished
and were all leaving whilst I sat alone at the table,
the teacher hovering over urging me to eat the two
miserable-looking overcooked pieces of broccoli on
my plate. Reluctantly I did, taking the tiniest of bites
(which only served to stretch out the torture) looked
on by my teacher who tried to reassure me by saying
“Greens are good for you”
And turns out she was right (along with Popeye and
the Green Giant…)
In fact, as far as food goes, the credentials of green
vegetables are pretty hard to beat.
Green leafy vegetables are packed with a huge range
of antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds
that are very difficult to get anywhere else. They’re
high in dietary fibre, rich in folic acid, vitamin C,
potassium and magnesium.
In addition they contain a host of phytochemicals,
such as lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, and
beta-carotene that can reduce inflammation and fight
the effects of oxidative damage - both of which are
key to recovery from any kind of training program or
exercise schedule. And of course if you can recover
faster then you’ll be able to train harder and more
often therefore allowing you to progress quicker
towards your fitness goals.
All in all, pretty optimal fuel for your body.
So eat more greens – I know it. You know it. It’s
Nutrition #101. Yet it’s surprising how few of us
actually do incorporate enough vegetables into our
daily diet. It’s something we know we “should” do.
And the “shoulds” in life are often the things that get
pushed down on our list of priorities.
So how do we turn “I should be eating more greens”
into “I enjoy eating more greens!”?
The key is to realise that green vegetables can offer
more than your typical steamed broccoli and raw
celery sticks. This is one food group that is incredibly
diverse, so there’s a wide variety to choose from and
plenty to suit virtually everyone’s tastes.
Choose and then make or cook green vegetables in
ways that you find tasty. By doing so it won’t be an
effort or a chore. Juice them, blend them, roast them,
grate them, bake them, stir-fry them, or make them
in to soups. Mix them with herbs, spices, different
dressings, oils, butter, sauces and seasonings.
As for salads? Discover life beyond the humble
iceberg lettuce – watercress, chicory, rocket, lambs
lettuce, baby spinach, parsley, coriander and more.
Vegetables that you previously thought you didn’t
like may suddenly become part of your cooking
repertoire. For example, I was never a fan of kale
until someone made me some that had been stir-fried
in coconut oil. A taste revelation!
So whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, aim to
make up half of each meal a symphony of greens.
Your body will thank you for it.
Jennie Gough
Jennie has a
BSc (Hons) in
Psychology and
is a health coach
and fully qualified
nutritional
therapist
registered with
both the British
Association
of Nutrition
Therapists
(BANT) and the
Complementary
and Natural
Healthcare
Council (CNHC)
jenniegough.com
HEALTH & NUTRITION
Jennie Gough.
Eat your
greens!
