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By: Carol Galanty

If you want to improve your health, the first place to start is to increase your intake of green vegetables. They are without a doubt the primary food group lacking in most people's diets (okay I know that technically green vegetables are not classified as a food group of their own, but they really should be...they are that important). When I say this to people, invariably they tell me they eat lots of green vegetables already, but I suspect this is not really the case. Eating a salad with dinner and a side of broccoli, although a good start, is not nearly enough.

Why are green vegetables so vital to our health? They nourish and strengthen our blood and immune system. They prevent cancer, boost your energy level, and they are loaded with fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll, micro nutrients and phyto-chemicals. They help to clear congestion, improve liver and kidney function and improve circulation. Even if only one of these benefits interests you, it is worth it to add more of these power houses to your diet.

When you eat more greens, you will naturally "crowd out" the less healthy items from your diet. The more greens you eat, the less you crave sugar and the more you crave actual food instead. What a welcome change! Plus, you can make them taste absolutely delicious...I kid you not.

If you're like most people, you don't know what to do with the various greens you see in the market, so you avoid buying them. You have your fallback items that are mainstays in your diet, but don't really branch out much beyond that. Collard greens, kale, spinach, swiss chard, bok choy, dandelion, mustard greens, savoy cabbage, broccoli, watercress, broccoli rabe, arugula, green cabbage...it's like learning a new language.

The good news is, there are endless options, so you will never get bored and thanks to the existence of mega stores like Whole Foods, Maxi, Provigo, Superstore,IGA, Sobeys and Loblaws, they are easily accessible at all times of year.

Here are a few simple ways to add more greens into your diet:

• Add them to your morning smoothie...you really won't even taste them
• Add a couple handfuls of greens to soups
• Make fresh green juices (mix in an apple or lemon for better flavor)
• When making a salad, use a variety of different greens (try kale, spinach, swiss chard and romaine all mixed together)
• Drink green Kombucha tea (my personal favorite...I have one every morning. It has spirulina, chlorella, and blue green algae in it as well as probiotics and folic acid)
• Add greens into omelettes (kale and spinach are good choices)
• Bring along raw greens for snacking (string beans, snap peas and celery are good choices. Celery with raw almond butter is a favorite of mine)
• Shift proportions on your plate: increase the size of the greens portion and decrease the size of the meat/fish portion
• Have a shot of wheatgrass (read my wheatgrass article to learn why)