Disadvantages of green leafy vegetables

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

Green leafy vegetables like spinach and lettuce are extremely beneficial for your health. Spinach is actually my favorite super food.

It's one of the few foods that have almost all the vitamins that you need. They work great on both a vegetarian and the ketogenic diet because of their low sugar levels.

You need to eat green leafy vegetables in moderation as part of a balanced diet, though, because too much of anything can turn into a bad thing. Here's why:

Disadvantages of green leafy vegetables

1. Low protein, carbohydrates, fat and calories
2. Diminished appetite if eaten in excess
3. Digestive issues like diarrhea, bloating and gas
4. Reduced physical performance when eaten before exercise
5. Limits calcium and iron absorption
6. Risks of disease contamination and pesticide residue
7. May increase your risk of kidney stones

Disadvantages of green leafy vegetables

1. You miss out on some important nutrients with green leafy greens

Green leafy vegetables might give you all of the fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and plant compounds that you need, but they are relatively low in the three macro nutrients: protein, carbohydrates and fat.

Low in protein

A single egg has about 6 grams of protein (for a 55 gram egg). 100 grams of spinach contains about 2.9 grams of protein. If the average protein requirement is 46-56 grams a day, you'd need to eat 1.586 kilograms (56 ounces) - 1.931 kilograms (68 ounces) of spinach per day.

Eggs are 13% protein (excluding the shell), but spinach is only 2.9% protein. To put it into a better perspective, a single serving (one cup) of spinach contains 0.86 grams of protein. You would need to eat 54 - 66 cups of spinach to get your minimum daily protein requirement.

Nuts are 20% protein. You only need 230 - 280 grams of nuts to get the same amount of protein.

Protein deficiency can lead to hair loss, brittle nails, dry and itchy skin, swollen and puffy skin, bloating, low immunity, increased viral and bacterial infections, muscle weakness, weak bones, constant hunger cravings, fatty liver, stunted growth, prolonged wound healing, pale skin and yellow eyes.

Balance and moderation is important.

Low in carbohydrates

Dietary guidelines recommend that 45-65 percent of your total caloric intake should be from carbohydrates. 100 grams of spinach will give you 3.6 grams of carbs from 23 calories. There are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates. That means that 14.4 calories out of the 23 calories in spinach come from carbs. That's 63% - which is within the recommended 45-65 percent.

The problem comes from the fact that there aren't enough carbohydrates in spinach to meet the recommended daily carbohydrate intake. The same dietary guidelines recommend consuming 225 - 325 grams of carbohydrates from a daily food intake that measures 2000 calories. To meet this carbohydrate intake, you'd need to eat 6 250 - 9 028 (6.2 kilograms / 137 pounds - 9 kilograms / 20 pounds) grams of leafy greens every day to meet your recommended dietary intake of carbohydrates.

This makes leafy green vegetables a great option for people who want to consume less carbs and still feel full, but it is not a great option for people who don't eat enough carbohydrates. People who need to put on weight, exercise, bulk up with muscle training etc. can't afford to get their carbohydrate needs met through green leafy vegetables.

You should still eat green leafy vegetables for their micro nutrients, but you need to get your carbohydrates elsewhere.

Low in calories

Leafy greens are one of the foods with the lowest calorie counts out there. While this might be great for people who want to reduce their caloric intake, eating too many green leafy vegetables (in comparison to other food sources) can lead to too much of a caloric deficit.

If you aim to eat 2000 calories per day, you would have to eat 8.6 kilograms (or 19 pounds) of leafy greens.

Consuming too few calories can lead to low energy, hair loss, constant hunger, infertility, sleep problems, irritability, low body temperature and constipation.

You need calories to survive.

Low in fats

100 grams of spinach has 0.4 grams of fat. You should eat 44 - 77 grams of fat per day. You would need to eat 11 - 19.3 kilograms (24 - 43 pounds) of leafy greens to get your daily recommended intake of fat.

We need fat as a stable form of energy, a source of essential fatty acids, an important part of cell walls, and absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K; and insulation and protection for our organs.

A deficiency in dietary fat can lead to dry and scaly skin, dry eyes, low body temperature, hair loss, dry hair, hormonal issues (like a loss of the monthly period in woman or low testosterone in men), constant hunger, lack of concentration and fatigue.

2. Leafy greens can diminish your appetite

High in fiber and water

Leafy green are largely made up of fiber and water. In fact, more than 90% of leafy greens are water. Both of these elements, which make up the majority of leafy greens, fill you up without providing any calories or nutrients that your body can absorb.

This will improve digestive health and feed your good gut bacteria, but it will also diminish your appetite. You won't hunger for more nutrients because your digestive tract will be full of food that takes long to digest.

Green leafy vegetables will therefore reduce the total amount of food that you eat. While this is a good thing for people who want to reduce the amount of food that they eat, it can have negative consequences for people who struggle to eat enough or put on weight.

Keep your appetite at the right level.

I lost my appetite by eating too many leafy greens

I have experienced this first hand. I ate 5 fruit and vegetables, including at least one big portion of green leafy vegetables, every single day. I also practiced intermittent fasting at the time (see the benefits of hunger and how you can do intermittent fasting on keto).

Fasting and high fiber food consumption made me lose weight so rapidly that I developed a protein deficiency. I had a low immune system, my skin was itchy, my muscles did not respond the best that they could to exercise and I had a constant runny nose.

I had to make changes to my diet to make sure that I got all of the nutrients that I needed. Now I start my day with protein and eat my 5 fruit and vegetables later in the day so that my appetite does not get too low. Follow this guide to gain weight at home or this one to bulk up with bodybuilding if you have the same problem that I had.

Let food give you the results you want.

3. Digestive issues

We have already mentioned the fact that green leafy vegetables give your gut a good workout because the nutrients in leafy greens are hard to digest.

If your digestive system isn't strong enough (or you don't have enough good gut bacteria) to digest green leafy vegetables, you can run into digestive issues like diarrhea, constipation, bloating and gas.

Live Strong explains that the digestive issues caused by leafy greens (and other plant foods) are due to the natural substances that are harder to break down in your gut.

Fast food and junk food digests easily. It is one of the reasons why we gravitate to junk food instead of healthy food. If you eat too much of this kind of food, your body adjusts to it and forgets how to digest more complex forms of food.

It's like going too hard on your first day of exercise. Your body should be able to do more, but it has become so lazy that you need to retrain it to get back to its normal fitness level.

Why do our bodies forget to do simple things so easily? This is called homeostasis. Your body will adapt to its surroundings in order to ensure your own survival.

If you experience digestive issues from leafy greens, eat them in smaller quantities to train your digestive system. They are too beneficial to avoid altogether because your digestive system is too weak. It will make you stronger in the long term.

Too much fiber can over-work the gut.

4. Leafy greens can negatively affect exercise by redirecting precious blood flow

Everyday Health explains this beautifully.

High fiber food is not recommended before or straight after exercise because your digestive system will require extra blood flow to break these foods down. This can lead to muscle cramps, decreased performance and low blood pressure during exercise.

Redirected blood flow to the digestive system is the major reason why we feel so tired and lethargic after eating a large meal. That is why a light walk after large meals can improve blood flow and bring your energy levels back to normal so efficiently.

5. Green leafy vegetables can limit calcium and iron absorption

Calcium is extremely important. It builds bone and teeth, coordinates cell signaling, clots blood, contracts muscle, retains water and allows nerves to function properly.

Oxalates, found in leafy greens like spinach, will limit the amount of calcium that your body can absorb. Oxalates bind to calcium in the gut and escort them out of the body through the stool or urination.

This is why people who cut out dairy or meat and eat more leafy greens at once can experience signs of calcium or iron deficiency (like brittle nails, hair loss, low energy, insomnia and memory loss). It's a double blow to your mineral levels: You greatly reduce your calcium and iron intake and limit their absorption at the same time.

Cook leafy greens to destroy some of the oxalates. It is also important to eat a variety of different foods to make sure that your body gets all of the nutrients that it needs.

Too much is unhealthy.

6. Contamination and pesticide risks

SF Gate tells us that vegetables cause the majority of food-borne disease outbreaks in the US. If leafy greens are great for our good gut bacteria, you can be sure that they are good for other bacteria as well.

One of the disadvantages of healthy food is the fact that it spoils very quickly. Spoiled food can lead to nasty diseases if not handled properly. This includes green leafy vegetables.

Pesticides are sprayed onto vegetables to try and negate some of these health risks. The residue pesticides can hurt our own bodies just as much as they kill insects and germs. It is very important that you rinse your vegetables before you cook or eat them.

7. May form kidney stones

Oxalates are present in leafy greens like spinach. Too much oxalate from eating too many leafy greens can lead to kidney stones. This happens when the oxalate binds to minerals like iron and calcium to form mineral deposits in the kidneys or urinary tract.

Avoiding leafy greens altogether isn't the way to go. Your body produces oxalate on its own already and oxalate is a metabolite of vitamin C. The key takeaway is the fact that you should balance out your green leafy vegetable consumption with other foods. Too much of a good thing will eventually lead to health complications.

Moderation is important.

Conclusion

While leafy greens like spinach and lettuce are micro nutrient power houses that give you precious nutrients, you can't rely on them exclusively for all of your nutrient requirements.

You need to eat other foods for your protein, carbohydrate and fat requirements. Balance green leafy vegetables out with other types of food so that you don't experience any of these disadvantages. Stay Strong!

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