What is the single most nutrient you may be missing in your diet?

Eat your greens!! When I was a child, my mom used to tell me to eat SAAG, “It’s good for your eyes”. (An Indian dish made with spinach and mustard greens)

I would fret and gag and very unwillingly eat them. I used to find it slimy and bitter to be honest. Gosh my kids shouldn’t hear this, or else I could never get them to eat greens again. 

Not anymore though, in fact I love eating a hot bowl of saag along with a traditional millet bread (bajra roti) and jaggery on the side. So good!

Fast forward to mommy hood, turning into a serious health evangelist and being a detective of my own health led me to read a number of books and medical papers on benefits of adding fiber. 

It’s HUGE, trust me! 

So for the past many years, I have focused on many creative ways to add fiber in my family’s meal on a daily basis. 

Plant foods are high in fiber and should be eaten everyday. It is a good goal to get 30 different plants in your diet in one week. Sounds like a hell lot of fiber to consume. But don’t worry. I promise you that it is easier than it sounds. 

How about starting with these simple & effective ideas right away?

  1. Switch to whole grains. Examples include whole wheat instead of white flour, white rice to brown rice, quick cooking oats to steel cut or old fashioned oats.
  1. Adding nuts and seeds on top of your foods like salads, soups, sandwiches, Asian bowls and wraps for crunch. 
  1. Committing to one plant based meal a week which has beans/lentils in them.
  1. Eat 1 whole fruit everyday instead of fruit juices or smoothies. 
  1. Stock your fridge with one seasonal greens such as kale, spinach, swiss chard, mustard greens etc. and use them in curries or one pot dishes. You can get creative here…
  1. Use cut up veggies like fresh cucumbers, carrots, celery and bell pepper sticks with your delicious dips. 

Does this sound difficult to you? I know you can easily make some switch if not all. Pick two ideas from the list above and execute it. Once that is easy, step up your game. 

BTW, my kids hate SAAG (a special dish in Indian cuisine made out of fresh Greens) and yet I make and serve them often. That is the only way; I know for sure they will develop a taste for it one day. Hope! 🙂