Vegetable powders have been around for a while. They were mostly for the hardcore health nuts. However, lately I am running into more and more mainstream folks who are using them or know someone who is. Earlier this week, I was remembering Jerry Seinfeld's wife and her book that talked about sneaking more veggies into family's meals by cooking and pureeing them first. Well, vegetable powders are the next generation for undercover attempts to get families or selves to eat more vegetables.
About a year ago, I became serious about eating more produce on a daily basis. The official recommendation is 5 or more servings per day. Did you catch that -- or more. So, I figure I can use all the help I can get when it comes to my health, so I'm going for the "or more."
The problem with adding more fruits and veggies is that I end up eating much more food than I want. This is where veggie powders are very helpful. I don't create new foods to make to eat the veggie powders. I simply add the powders to foods I would ordinarily eat.
I've discussed my use of carrot powder. Mostly I use this in my morning yogurt. I'm currently out of the carrot powder and need to make another batch. In the in-between time, I've been using more of the beet root powder in the last couple of weeks.
I've used the beet powder in my morning yogurt. I mix a rounded half-teaspoon of the beet powder, honey, vanilla extract, and dried fruit into plain yogurt. I can taste the beet in the yogurt if I don't add enough honey.
I like smoothies for snacks and lunch. Here's a current favorite: banana, orange juice, beet powder (a teaspoon), water, and vanilla protein powder. I don't even notice the beet powder in this drink.
I was in the mood for chocolate pudding the other day. I decided to make it Red Velvet pudding. I added 1 tablespoon of beet powder to a batch that made 4 servings. (I made my own batch with soy milk and the family's with dairy milk.) Anyway, half way through dessert, I asked my husband if he could guess the mystery ingredient. He had no clue. When I told him beet powder, he was really surprised -- said he'd never, ever have guessed.
There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. So I aim for 1 serving of beetroot powder every other day, just to be cautious. More on side effects from eating beets, here.
Beets are high in potassium, folate, manganese, beta carotene, and nitric oxide. Beetroot may improve blood pressure, immune response, prevent heart disease, and increase stamina in exercise. [WebMD: Health Benefits of Beetroot]
I am definitely getting more servings of fruits and vegetables in my diet these days. I can't put my finger on exactly how, but I do feel better overall when I'm eating more produce.
I wonder how kale powder (using our surplus garden kale this summer) would taste? Hmmm . . .
