9 Ways To Eat More Vegetables
August 13, 2020
We know we need to eat more vegetables, but for many of us, it can seem nearly impossible to achieve the recommended daily 2½ to 3 cups of vegetables in a healthy diet. Recently, a few of our registered dietitians weighed in on a question that many of us face on a daily basis: "I hate vegetables, but I need to eat more of them, so how do I get them into my diet?"
Veggies hold all sorts of amazing benefits and come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes. From the starchy potatoes and beans to the leafy greens of lettuce and kale, these wonder foods provide nutrient-rich energy that gets us through the day. Vegetables contain high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, protein and fiber that keep you happy and healthy.
But how do we begin to incorporate more vegetables into our busy lifestyles? Use these tactics to help kick-start your track to healthier eating.
Make One Meal A Week Meatless
By eliminating meat one night a week and replacing it with a vegetable-based recipe, you will add more vitamins, minerals, and fiber to your diet. Portobello burgers, marinated eggplant, and grilled vegetable kabobs are just a few tasty options to try.
Try Different Methods Of Cooking
Many vegetables can be cooked in a variety of ways, each impacting the flavor and texture of the vegetable. Try steaming, sautéing, roasting, and even grilling your vegetables. A grill basket is a good investment, as is a steamer basket. Fresh and dried herbs and spices, coconut oil, olive oil, and grass-fed butter can also add flavor to your vegetable dishes.
Add Vegetables To Each Meal
When making your plate, make sure to include at least one vegetable, whether cooked or raw. Work up to making half your plate vegetables.
Make It Easy
When you get home from the store, cut up all your produce so it’s more accessible throughout the week. Packing in sandwich bags or small containers makes it easy to grab some vegetables for a high-fiber snack. Chop up your fruit and vegetables and put into snack-sized serving baggies or containers so in the morning they are ready to go. Also buy small salad dressing containers to add in dips. Most grocery stores have pre-cut vegetables in the produce section. If time is the problem, choose one of these. Frozen vegetables are another great option.
Mix It In
Consider some ways to hide vegetables in ways that you won’t taste them like blending into a morning smoothie or mixing small pieces in with rice or soup. You can add vegetables to ground meat and many sauces. Make your own pasta sauce with shredded carrots, chopped spinach, and zucchini or add some vegetables to your favorite store brand. Finely chopped or grated vegetables can be added to hamburgers, meatloaf, taco meat, even tuna or chicken salad. Try adding chopped vegetables to an omelet or add a handful of kale or Swiss chard to your favorite fruit smoothie.
Explore New Options
Haven't tried broccoli or Brussels sprouts since you were a kid? Give them another try. Your tastes have probably changed since then. Commit to trying a new vegetable once a week. Think outside the box. There are many varieties of vegetables that may have never come to mind.
"Explore something new. Give yourself a task. Maybe try one or two vegetables that you have never tried before per week. And slowly you will be able to find you have a lot more options than you ever thought before," said Yu-Han Huang, MS, RD, CD, Franciscan Health registered dietitian.
Fight bland produce with the countless varieties of seasoning blends or spices that are available just a few aisles away from the veggies in your supermarket. Or, grab fresh herbs while at the farmer's market. Run out of new ones to try? Try each again, choosing a different cooking method! Find new ways to prepare veggies.
Add Then Eliminate
To prevent feeling deprived, try adding vegetables to your diet before you eliminate the less healthy foods. Focus on filling up on vegetables, and you may be less hungry and even lose your taste for refined grains, sugary treats, and junk food. Don’t believe it? You won’t know until you try!
Snack Smart
Incorporate vegetables throughout your entire day; they're more than just a side dish. Replace junk foods such as candy or chips with baby carrots, celery or other small vegetables.
Get Your Kids Involved
Getting children to eat vegetables can be challenging.
Franciscan Health registered dietitian Gretchen Heidenreich, RD, CD, suggests "having them come to the grocery store with you. Say, 'Hey, look at all these veggies. Pick out one that you want and we'll cook it together.' Cut them in fun shapes, try them different ways."
Or get your child involved in your garden. A study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that gardening may increase a child's intake of fruits and vegetables, nutrition knowledge and preference for vegetables. When a child participates in planting a garden, they become more excited and involved thus increasing the chance of that child eating what they helped to grow ...or at least trying a few tastes of it. (Same goes for having a child pick out a new fruit or vegetable at the store. They are more likely to at least try it).
