How to increase how many veggies you eat each day

Ever since you were a little kid, you can remember all the adults in your life pestering you to eat your vegetables: "You won't grow up to be big and strong if you don't eat your vegetables;" "You want grow big muscles if you don't eat your vegetables;" "You can't go out and play until you've finished your vegetables;" "Jimmy, you're grounded the next time I see you feeding the dog your vegetables!" Today, maybe things are different. Maybe you enjoy eating veggies more than you did when you were a kid. But there's a good chance you're still not getting enough veggies to fulfill the recommended daily serving. True, it can be tough to incorporate so many veggies into just three meals a day. Less than 15% of American adults meet the government's minimum guidelines for fruits and vegetables. So here are a few suggestions on how you can increase the amount of veggies you eat each day.
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- If you or your family members don't love veggies, a good option to go for is the "stealth" approach. Trick yourself or your family into eating veggies by sneaking them into your meals. Simply add finely chopped and blended veggies into stews, soups, casseroles and pasta or even in sandwiches. They also go well as the toppings on pizza or into frozen meals. There's a good chance that you won't even notice them. But you will be benefiting from their nutrients. And since vegetables are mostly made of water, adding them to your diet allows you to consume larger portions at meal time, while cutting back on calories at the same time. Way to be sneaky!
- Be creative. If you don't love vegetables, try sampling a wider variety of them. Maybe you've only really tried zucchini squash, tomatoes, beans, carrots and celery. Try branching out a bit. Try baked spaghetti squash with a teeny bit of butter (it really does taste like spaghetti!)? Try eggplant parmesan or sweet peas off the vine incorporated into a salad. Try fresh spinach instead of plain lettuce. There are dozens of varieties of vegetables that you've never even tried! Be open to trying new types of veggies. You might just find out that you really, really like them. You'll also discover that the more you use vegetables, the more recipes you'll find that incorporate strange and unusual (and often delicious!) types of veggies.
- Try snacking on veggies. If you like to snack at work, bring a bag of carrots or celery instead of pretzels or granola bars. They are healthy and have a refreshing crisp in every bite. They also take more time to chew between each bite, which prevents you from snacking more than you really wanted to. If you're craving something salty, slice a tomato and sprinkle it with a bit of salt instead of opening a bag of potato chips.
- Always include vegetables in your main meal. Breakfast may not be your preferred time to eat vegetables (although fruit is a very good choice). Instead, try putting vegetables on your sandwich for lunch (spinach, tomato, cucumber, pepper, or onion are good options) or go for a home-style vegetable soup. But be sure that your dinner includes at least two vegetable options. They can be incorporated into your main dish (stealth style or more obvious) or simply served as side dishes. If you feel like you don't have time for fancy vegetable dishes, go for the simplest option: canned or frozen veggies. They're great because they're always on hand, never go bad, and go well with almost any meal.
Remember than eating veggies can be nutritious and delicious!
