Eatin some dining hall collards at present and looked up their stats and was quite impressed:
1 cup, chopped, 190g,
49 kcal,
9g carbs,
5g fiber,
<1g fat,
4g protein.
Looks like a great vegetable choice, doesn’t it?
Adam Marshall
Any dark leafy green is going to be a good choice, The problem is most people (your dining hall is probably guilty of this) cook the hell out of it, thus destroying all the nutrients.
I’ve been eating lots of greens lately (copying the guys doing the “Poliquin diet”) and it’s been working great me. The biggest issue with low carbs (IMO) is getting enough fiber, and the greens are great for that. I do have two questions (for Ko, or anyone)… Is it okay to use frozen vegetables? Also, if you have any simple recipes (especially ones I could modify for frozen vegetables), that would be most appreciated… Right now I am eating them with salt, pepper, and “Smart Balance” (margarine that supposedly helps with high cholesterol) which is fine, because I happen to like the taste of vegetables. But if you have any simple ideas on dressing up greens of any kind, that would be great…
Thank you!
Actually frozen veggies are better. With flash freezing veggies are frozen within a couple hours of picking. This retains all of this freshness. VS sitting in a warehouse for a couple days sitting on a truck for a couple days and sitting in the store for a couple days.
I’ve found for max flavor and max health I throw frozen veggies right into a saucepan and cook them/warm them up in the water that comes from the ice, if you throw in spices mid cook and toward the very end tossing while you do it it coats all of the vegetable and really gives some god flavor. some of my favorites are garlic salt, and lemmon pepper. Nutmeg goes really well with green leafys. I also like stuff spicy so I’ll chop up a hot pepper from my garden or some fresh garlic/onion and toss it in. (I eat a box or bag of frozen veggies everynight with some lean protien for dinner)
…So the consensus is frozen over canned?? Thanks. T.E.
Dude, lose the margarine asap! That stuff is the worst kind of thing for you: all trans-fats. Just use regular butter or throw some flax oil or something on your veggies (but only AFTER you cook them). Can’t comment on the frozen vs. unfrozen veggies, but definitely had to chime in about the margarine.
Tyler
I once read that Kale is the king when it comes to % of phytonutrients, vit. A, and the like.
The margarine I use is “no trans-fats” and it’s supposed to good for high cholesterol. It’s called “Smart Balance”. There’s another brand called “Benecol” which I think does have trans-fats. But I agree, I think I will stop using margarine or butter, I don’t need it…
Lumpy is right, smart balance has no trans-fats. In issue 7, “Good Fat and where it’s at” by Lonnie Lowry, he suggests using smart balance. I have it, and it really isn’t bad with foods for a P+F meal. If you don’t use much it tastes just like margarine!
I prefer to use fresh vegetables, but if time is an issue frozen veggies are convenient, and better than nothing at all. I would thaw them in the microwave, just till they are hot, then toss them in extra virgin olive oil with salt pepper and a little lemon juice (you could use vinegar instead) . I do not use butter substitutes, so I have no opinion on them (actually I think they blow, if I want butter flavor, I use butter). I sometimes throw in some tomato chunks, cayenne and cilantro to liven things up.
T.E. The only canned goods that I use are tomatoe products for sauce and beans (not grean beans), and that is only if I am strapped for time. Most canned goods have lost their nutrional value during the canning process.
RYANO- Kale is the king, but like collard greens, unless you cook it for a long time, it is very tough. I personally would stick to spinach and broccoli. They both can be eaten raw and/or with little cooking time.