Leafy Greens
*le sigh*
I need to eat leafy greens on a daily basis.
No, really.
This month that fact really hit home. Again.
If I eat leafy greens on a regular basis, I get significantly fewer migraines.
Period.
I actually already knew this. But I keep sliding. Stopping. Plus, there were the holidays.
It isn’t as if I wasn’t eating vegetables. I was. But not specific leafy greens.
So this month, I’m really suffering as a result.
I can’t keep doing this to myself. I’m making a pact with myself, here and now, to get back into the habit of eating leafy greens most every day, for the rest of the year.
What do I mean by leafy greens?
When I’m “on schedule”, I make myself a smoothie every morning, with a 1:1 ratio of greens to berries/fruit. Most of the time, I use curly green kale.
NOTE #1: Freeze your kale. Seriously. Buy curly green or red kale, process it, then throw it in a plastic bag and throw the bag into the freezer. When the kale freezes, it breaks down into tiny little pieces. This makes it really easy to make smoothies from. In addition, freezing the kale makes it less bitter and more easily digestible.
In addition to the kale/fruit, I also add half a cup of plain Greek yogurt, a touch of honey water and a touch of vanilla.
NOTE #2: Honey water. I make a simple syrup of honey & water. One cup honey, one cup water, thrown into a pot and heated until the honey dissolves. I pour it into a glass bottle and keep it in the fridge. This way, I always have a liquid, pourable honey for sweetening things, such as lemonade or hot chocolate.
In addition to the kale, I need to have a salad almost every day. Lettuce and stuff.
So why don’t I eat leafy greens every day?
One problem is that I get bored with having the same food all the time. I have an entire smorgasbord worth of “extras” to add to the lettuce for making salads. As well as half a dozen different flavors of salad dressing. So I’m trying.
The other problem is that it’s winter here in Seattle. Not as cold as in Mpls, where I grew up. But having a cold breakfast smoothie, as well as a cold salad for lunch or dinner, ends up being unappetizing. (I have fewer problems eating more leafy greens in the summertime, when it’s warmer.)
However, migraines suck. Seriously. I haven’t been able to do much today because I’ve had a migraine all day. I’m going to try to write tonight, but I’m not hopeful.
I just need to remember how bad today has been, particularly the next time I look at the lettuce and think, “Ugh. Not hungry.”
Plus, keep track and make sure that 5 out of 7 days a week I eat enough leafy greens!
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.