Ever wonder why 7/10 American's are overweight? Is it due to the seemingly new born prevalence of fried foods? Is it because we've evolved to become metabolically less efficient? Or is it because we eat far and exercise far less than we should? Needless to say these questions don't even become to reveal the surface of the multi-dimensional problem at hand.
One thing I can say with a high degree of certainty is that besides the fact that we as a whole eat a gross excess of processed 'junk' food, we completely neglect those foods that come directly from the very ground we live on. While to a certain extent most people get their daily requirement of fruit in their diet, we tend to forget about their counterparts (veggies) and some how rationalize that by eating more fruit we can garner the same nutritional benefits that we would derive from eating vegetables. This convenient justification is common, however it is completely irrational. For one, veggies are generally higher in minerals like iron and magnesium than fruit. Why is this important? From a biochemical perspective we know that our body is comprised of tissues that are made up of cells that contain thousands of proteins. Many of these proteins are enzymes that catalyze reactions in the cell which translates to complete physiological functioning of our body. Furthermore, we know that these enzymes require co-factors (bnding agents) in the form of mineral ions to function properly. For example, the ATP Synthase is an enzyme responsible for producing ATP at the expense of the proton gradient generated by the electron transport chain. It requires magnesium as a co-factor and in vitro studies indicate that ATP Synthase activity is significantly abrogated in the absence of magnesium. As a result, no ATP Synthase activity= no ATP production = cellular death. Long story short, the minerals derived from veggies do your body a world of good.
Secondly, veggies are loaded with insoluble fiber which is a major factor is maintaining functional digestive health. Insufficient fiber in one's diet can lead to a whole slew of digestive irregularities (of which we need not mention) that can put a serious damper on the rest of your body's function.
So how do we eat more veggies, they are so hard to prepare correctly and they never have any flavor. While I plan on posting a robust collection of veggie-containing recipes, for the sake of today's post I want to touch on the aspect of masking. Sure veggies don't taste very good but luckily they don't carry much flavor at all which gives them a very distinct advantage in that they can soak up the flavors of the surrounding ingredients. The best example of this is in green smoothies. I have recently become a HUGE advocate for green smoothies as I think they are the most convenient way to get them in your diet. For example, if you mix spinach and broccoli with a banana and some vanilla soy milk, you can't taste the veggies. All of a sudden you can make balanced liquefied meals that contain veggies, healthy sources of fat like cashews or coconut, and protein derived from milk or say all without having the heavy sugar load that is characteristic of most smoothies. Best of all this gives you a delicious way to get in your daily dose of you treacherous vegetables you so dreadfully fear.
Just some food for thought.
Cheers,
ZLH
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