If your meat is grass-fed and you're including organs from time to time, I don't think you really need anything else. No such thing as an essential fruit or vegetable in my opinion.

Speaking as someone whose health only improved as I dropped more and more plants (I'm now "zero-carb," although that's a bit of a misnomer), I'm not convinced leafy greens bring much extra to the nutritional table, especially since you're eating fatty meat, fish and eggs.

While I've got the mic, I'll put forth my amateur theory of plant-eatin' nutrition: Plants create an amazing array of chemicals that are entirely devoted to defending themselves against critters that want to eat them. Critters, including humans, have evolved counter-defenses, but I think some humans (like me) don't counter-defend as well as some others against many or most of these chemical weapons. (See Susan Allport's The Primal Feast, starting on page 108, for a great explanation of the plant kingdom's vast arsenal: http://tinyurl.com/6cdzwjm .) I think children's general rejection of vegetables based on bitterness is a certain kind of body wisdom, and I think adults who dislike veggies shouldn't feel it's a moral failing to not eat them. (Not that I think Paleos necessarily moralize about this -- I'm just saying in general.)

Please see the attached links. Short summary - there are hormetic benefits to plant/polyphenol consumption. Immoderate amounts would detract from this benefit, but in moderation is sensible.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/02/polyphenols-hormesis-and-disease-part-i.html http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2011/02/polyphenols-hormesis-and-disease-part.html

http://www.archevore.com/panu-weblog/2011/2/28/william-munny-eats-his-vegetables.html http://www.archevore.com/panu-weblog/2011/3/1/polyphenol-hormesis-follow-up.html

I couldn't live without my Kale spinach and broccoli = my favorites!!!! I wouldn't change even if it did give me gastro difficulties - are you cooking them long enough? I've been diagnosed with Barrett's esophagus, and diverticulosis - so gut probs are a norm for me - since on paleo, they've been mimimized - however I need to cook kale and cruciferous veggies to death - otherwise they do cause a bloat! Not so with spinach - but broccoli and kale are cruciferous - maybe you should stick to spinach, green beans and asparagus, zuchinni and veggies like that.

If you decide that you WANT more greens (they make my belly happy, skin clear, and teeth white) I suggest a smoothie. You can pack at least four packed cups of spinach, kale, and collards into a quart sized smoothie with some water, fat (I like flaxseed oil - is that Paleo?), and a cup of fruit (usually berries). Makes me feel goood. But I guess if it doesn't make you feel good, you shouldn't eat it :)

Have you played with different kinds of cooking methods? I'm not enough of a scientist to know, but I wonder if different cooking methods might change things?

I've recently started braising greens in homemade chicken broth. A small amount of broth (covering 1/4 -1/3 of the veggies) in a heavy dutch-oven or similar pot, put on high enough to steam, cook until done on stovetop. Cabbage takes 10 minutes. For kale or chard I'd fry some bacon in the bottom of the pot first, scrape up the fond, and cook lower and slower.