I can’t tell you how often I hear “I don’t like vegetables!” I don’t care. Find ones you can tolerate and eat them anyways.  This is non negotiable. You NEED the nutrients in vegetables to keep your body functioning properly. 

Vitamins and minerals are the tools your body uses to do just about everything. If you don’t get enough of one, the whole system breaks down…slowly. Not enough magnesium (Hint: its what makes plants green) and your nerves lose the ability to talk to each other and your DNA loses the ability to repair itself correctly. Not enough choline and your liver begins storing fatty deposits. Not enough antioxidants and your body stays in a prolonged state of inflammation (that’s one of the ways cancer forms) [Here’s how I get extra antioxidants]. Get the idea? Good.

The bacteria in your gut need the fiber.  Forget about probiotics and fermented yogurt for a minute. You need the fiber found in plants to feed the good bacteria in your intestines and block the bad ones from forming. If you don’t have that, none of the supplements or yogurt will help you.

Here are some questions I often get:

“Is corn a vegetable?” -No

“How about potatoes?” -Nope

“Beer is made of hops right?” -Yes “Hops is a plant correct?” – Correct “Then beer is like salad and counts towards my vegetables!” -Nice try (but I appreciate the effort!)

The topic of vitamin and minerals can be extremely complicated so I’ll summarize it for you. Your metabolism WILL NOT function properly if you don’t have enough vitamins, minerals, and fiber.  You can exercise all you want, and your body will still slowly break down.  The goal is to live well right? Then eat your damned veggies as often as possible.