3 Tips To Make Everyday Meals Even Healthier, From A Functional Medicine Expert

At mbg, we often preach about adding more plants to your plate (and that doesn't require eating a fully plant-based diet). Adding any sort of produce already adds a bounty of health benefits, but what if we told you that you could supercharge those perks with just a few simple tweaks? 

Usually, experts advise against boiling your vegetables, since you lose many of their valuable nutrients in the cooking water (that's what makes vegetable broth so nutritious!). "However, sweet potatoes are a very rare exception," says Sapola, especially when it comes to your blood sugar response. 

"The preparation technique for a sweet potato can drastically affect the glycemic impact of the sweet potato," Sapola adds. For example, she notes that roasting sweet potatoes takes them from around 60 to 90 on the glycemic index. "So boiling sweet potatoes whole for 20 minutes covered is actually the best way to keep the glycemic impact low."

The best way to consume veggies? Leave the skin on. For example: "When you peel carrots, you're peeling off the skin, which is where most phytonutrients are found. You're also removing some of the healthy microbes that might be on there."

Now, this is assuming your carrot comes from healthy, nutrient-rich soil. "Something pulled fresh out of the ground is a lot different than a carrot that has been in storage for months," Sapola adds. "As long as you're comfortable with the growing methods, you should be consuming the skin whenever you can."

Sapola emphasizes eating the whole plant whenever possible—stems, roots, leaves, all of it! In fact, the oft-forgotten parts of a veggie actually turn out to be the healthiest.

Take beets, for example: "If you look at beetroot versus beet greens, the greens—which we most often cut off and throw away—actually have more minerals than the roots themselves," Sapola says. Specifically, beet greens are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and polyphenols. So don't toss them! 

The texture when cooked is similar to spinach, so they work great on their own as a side dish, or you can toss the greens into whatever sauté you've got on the stove. They boast a mild, sweet, and earthy flavor similar to chard.

At the end of the day, simply adding more veggies to your menu is a solid move. However, if you'd like to up the ante, try Sapola's tweaks to reap even more nutritional benefits. The bottom line? "Get in as much color with your food as you can," she says. "Color is phytonutrients, and color is a sensory experience."