How to increase the amount of vegetables you eat
Ever since you were a little kid, you can remember your mother, grandmother, and teachers haranguing you about eating your vegetables. Mother wouldn't let you leave the table until you ate all your vegetables. The lunch lady wouldn't let you throw your lunch out until you finished that celery stick. Maybe you enjoy eating vegetables today more than you did when you were a child. 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. It's not that you don't want to eat them. It's that you don't know how to incorporate them into your diet. So here are a few suggestions on how you can increase the amount of vegetables you eat.
Start young. Raising your kids to be veggie lovers may be one of the best ways to ensure that they'll grow up to be healthy and strong. If you're an expecting mother, you should definitely pay attention to this: a fetus can experience a variety of tastes in the amniotic fluid. So if you're pregnant and you eat lots of vegetables, your baby is much more likely to enjoy veggies when s/he grows up.
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If you or your family members don't love veggies, try the "stealth" approach. Trick yourself into eating them by sneaking them into your meals. Add finely chopped and blended vegetables into stews, casseroles, soups and pasta. Put them in sandwiches, as the toppings on pizza and into frozen meals. There's a good chance that you won't even notice them. But you will be benefiting from their nutrients. Also, since vegetables are mostly made of water, adding them to your diet allows you to consume larger portions while cutting back on calories at the same time. Pretty sneaky, eh?
Be creative. If you don't love vegetables, try a wider variety of them. Maybe you've only really been exposed to zucchini squash, tomatoes, beans, carrots and celery. But have you ever tried spaghetti squash with a teeny bit of butter? Or eggplant parmesan? Or sweet peas off the vine? Or fresh spinach? 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.
Always include vegetables in your main meal. Breakfast may not be the ideal time for veggies (though fruit is a very good choice). Try and put vegetables on your sandwich for lunch (spinach, tomato, cucumber, pepper, or onion are good options) or choose a vegetable soup. But be sure that your dinner includes at least two vegetable options. You may want to incorporate them into your main dish or simply serve them as sides. If you don't feel like you have time to prepare vegetables, go for the simple option: canned veggies. French cut green beans or frozen peas are excellent alternatives to fresh veggies.
Eating more vegetables is a great way to improve your health. It can be a tasty and enjoyable experience.
