A Good Diet is Great for your Health. But Do You Get Enough of the Right Foods? Here’s How to Eat More Veggies. (Easily).
If you’re avoiding junk food and processed food, that’s great! But are you getting enough nutrition from what you’re eating? Do you need to eat more veggies?
Are you meeting the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables?
The good news is that you can’t really overdose on vegetables, so I like to keep it simple and not stress about exactly how much I should be eating. It’s easier to simply know that it’s good to eat more veggies.
So, here are 4 ways you can easily add more fruit and veggies to your meals, and still keep things fresh and exciting – you don’t want your food to become boring!
Advance It!
Imagine you’re making a nice omelet. You know it would be good to add some spinach – perhaps some mushrooms too. But …… you just want a quick omelette. So you don’t add the nice veggies.
However, if you had some mushrooms and peppers in the fridge that were already chopped, well, then it’s dead easy to toss them into your meal, isn’t it?
That’s why it’s a great idea to do some food prep at the beginning of the week (I do mine on a Sunday normally) (with a little glass of wine to help the process along nicely).
When you’ve got ready-prepared veggies, there’s no reason not to use them.
Another great idea is to have frozen fruit and vegetables in your freezer. They’re already peeled (if needed), they’re already chopped, they’re available year-round, and they still have all their nutrition.
It’s wonderfully easy to add some berries to your yogurt, or to your pancake batter.
It’s all about convenience. When you make it easy to add more fruit and veggies, you’ll do it without hesitation!
3 more tips below!
Add Leaves
Why not add some salad greens to your plate when you serve lunch and dinner? Or make it more interesting by adding an actual salad.
Salads are probably the most versatile meal ever! Stick with a classic salad, or add some corn, chickpeas, beans, tuna, chicken – whatever you fancy.
When you have a salad with your meal –
- You consume fewer calories (most salads are very low-cal) but you feel more full
- Salads are loaded with fibre and nutrients so that you don’t get that afternoon (or evening) “slump” – they help to boost your energy and concentration levels.
Soup It Up!
Nothing says “comfort food” like a bowl of piping hot, hearty soup.
Soups are full of good nutrition and help to keep you feeling full. Plus, the variety of soups you can make is almost infinite, so ring the changes – make some soup at the beginning of each week, and have a small bowl before dinner.
Often, you can put veggies into soup that you wouldn’t normally eat on their own – it’s a great way to “hide” them. So you’ll not only eat more veggies, but you’ll also get a greater variety of them.
Have Something Sweet
Do you crave “something sweet” after a meal (or other times). It could be that your blood sugar level has dropped.
We’ve been conditioned to think that we crave chocolate or ice cream – but fruit is not only delicious (and sweet), but it also contains fiber, vitamins and minerals that will keep you far more alert than if you ate a chocolate bar.
Fruit will stop that craving. You can have a different type of dessert for every day of the week –
- It can be as simple as eating an orange or apple.
- Or you can cut up different types of fruit to make a fruit salad.
- Or add some berries to a plain yogurt.
- Or make a small-but-yummy smoothie with a little spinach (you won’t taste it) and some banana or mango. Add fresh orange juice or sparkling water and blend – perfect!
You’ll keep your sweet tooth happy without piling on the calories.
Summary
Do some food prep at the beginning of the week so you always have ready-prepped fruit and vegetables to hand. When it’s convenient, you’ll use it. Add a salad to your plate for lunch and dinner. Soup is nourishing and comforting all year round. And use fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth instead of processed candy, chocolate or ice cream.
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Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your FREE recipes for yummy smoothies that will keep you feeling full! Click here.
