Whether it’s for a New Year’s resolution, more energy, vitamins, or just better overall health, adding more leafy greens to the menu is always a good idea. Spinach and kale are in the spotlight lately with salads, breakfast bowls, smoothies, “Buddha bowls,” omelettes, and more. But, you shouldn’t eat these leafy greens unless you’re also getting a healthy fat at the same meal. If you don’t, you’ll miss out on a lot of the nutrition you’ve been looking for. But how and why should you do this? Find out with this article.

What is a fat soluble vitamin?

A fat soluble vitamin is a healthy organic compound that can only be absorbed by your body if a fat is present at the same time the vitamin is consumed. Only a lipid can dissolve (and make useful) vitamins A, D, E, and K. The job of the small intestine is to absorb these vitamins into its lipid droplets as they pass along with other food. The vitamins are then stored in body tissue or used to do their job in various bodily functions. Spinach, kale, and other leafy green vegetables are great sources of these essential fat-soluble compounds.

So where is the problem?

If there is no lipid present in the small intestine along with these vitamins, the body will ignore them and they will be of no use to it. Eating a non-fat spinach salad for dinner and then eating a high-fat dessert won’t help. Spinach enters the intestine first, and without fat where it breaks down, vitamins are not absorbed.

This used to be combated with salad dressings such as the traditional oil and vinegar dressing. However, these days you will find yourself with two extremes when it comes to dressing; the low-fat/fat-free variety, and the kind of restaurant where you have too many fats, sugars, or other additives that make the salad worthless. The other problem is within the smoothies, bowls and vegetables at breakfast. Unless they’re in an omelet, it’s unlikely that there will be fat on the table at the same time. A smoothie with kale, banana, pineapple, and rice milk is common… but where’s that healthy fat? We just need.

Healthy fats and vitamins working together for you:

Now that you know how fat-soluble vitamins work, you’ll want to work on including some healthy fat in your meal at the same time. Of course, not all fats are the same. There are the nasty ‘trans fats’ you hear about in the news, plus monounsaturated fats, animal fats, hydrogenated oils, non-hydrogenated oils, vegetable fats, omega 3, omega 6, medium chain triglycerides, and fish oils. .the list goes. unceasingly.

But choosing the right type of fat is important for good absorption and good health. Of course, trans fats aren’t good for you, so what’s a healthy, easy and versatile one to choose? Plant-derived lipids are a good starting point. Unlike hydrogenated oils, they may not be as stable or long-lasting, but neither is fresh fruit and no one seems to care. Good sources of these include nuts, nut butters, seeds, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, cacao nibs, and tahini.

The solution is delicious (and easy!)

If you’re eating a salad, consider making your own dressing. It’s often as easy as pour, shake to mix, then use. Also consider shredding your salad with sunflower seeds, chia seeds, or walnuts instead of croutons. Each seed and nut has healthy omega-3 oils, protein, and a great flavor and texture for the salad. Include olive oil: preferably cold pressed/first press. Olive oil is rich in the kind of healthy fats needed for the great vitamins in a healthy salad. Omega 3 and 6 oils, when in balance, help form healthy skin membranes (for youthful-looking skin), support brain health, and help nourish hair follicles. An olive oil-based salad dressing with healthy seeds like chia, used on top of a baby spinach salad and topped with crunchy walnuts is a healthy and tasty way to start.

Do you want to try a homemade dressing?

This recipe is super simple to get you started right.

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of dried chia seeds

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Simply combine all the ingredients in a container with a lid and shake to mix. You are ready for the salad!

When you mix quick dressings at home, you don’t get condoms, artificial colors or flavors, and you get the taste you want. The internet is a plethora of easy dressing recipes, just a search away.

How about those breakfast bowls?

Don’t you like salad? Okay, there’s a fun, fruity way to get your veggies…without even trying them! The answer here is the smoothie or breakfast bowl. When you mix kale with pineapple and banana… you don’t even taste it. (Kale is notoriously a bit bitter and tough, not everyone is going to enjoy eating the leaves no matter what you coat them with) No one wants olive oil in the blender though, and coconut oil will only make you greasy.

You can let nut butter be one of your answers here. A swirl of natural peanut butter (skip the high fructose corn syrup) or a heaping tablespoon of almond butter is great in chocolate or berry smoothies. Naturally, any smoothie or bowl can be topped with nuts to add crunch and the healthy fats you need too. But what if you have a bowl that nut butter just won’t work in?

Sweet or salty omega-3 seed oil solution

The problem (if you could call it that) with the other healthy fats on the list is either the texture (oily oils!) or the flavor (no one wants a nut in their pineapple). So what if you could have something with calcium, magnesium, B vitamins, healthy omega 3 oils, antioxidants, complete plant protein AND two types of fiber… that wouldn’t change the taste of your food?

You’d really be in the business of healthier eating…and you’d have chia seed on your side. Chia seeds are small, so they will mix or match with just about anything. They’re also unflavored, so you’ll never try them… but they do contain the entire list of benefits seen above, and more. They’re perfect to add to any smoothie or bowl because they won’t alter the flavor. They’re also great for salad dressings, soups, and sandwiches because they’re as easy to use as a “sprinkle.” When you have chia, you don’t have to worry about including the healthy fats in any green smoothie flavor or bowl.

With this knowledge, you can now enjoy your vegetables more and also get more nutrition from them. By choosing the right types of fats and exploring more flavor options, your spinach and kale can go far beyond salad, and you’ll know you’re always getting all the vitamins and minerals available. Eating better every day doesn’t have to be difficult, and when you feel the results, it’s easy to want to keep going. Find combinations you like and easy sources of omega 3s, and you’ll be on your way to better health.