
—
Vegetables are a great source of nutrients; however, most of us don’t get enough fresh veggies from our diet.
Healthcanal’s recommendation of veggie intake should be around 2 to 3 servings per day, where 1 cup is for most vegetables and 2 cups for green, leafy veggies.
Since they contain different nutrients for bodily functions, they also help you lose weight, thanks to their fiber content that helps you fill up. Some people don’t get access to raw veggies; that’s why it’s not included in their daily diet, but most people don’t feel like eating them. It could be because you haven’t tried the right preparation of vegetables.
There are different ways to cook vegetables, aside from plainly boiling them. You can roast them and top them with parmesan cheese to make them more delectable. If you’re looking for creative ways on how to eat more fruits and vegetables in your diet, you’ve come to the right place.
Listed below are seven delicious ways to add veggies to your eating habits.
How To Eat More Vegetables
For those who don’t like vegetables, here are seven creative ways to eat more vegetables when you don’t like them.
Try making vegetable soup
Making soup is an excellent way to consume multiple servings of veggies. You can make vegetable soup by pureeing them and adding spices to make it more flavorful. Moreover, you can increase your intake of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients by adding extra veggies.
Here are some veggies you can use as based soup:
- Butternut squash
- Brussels sprouts
- Pureed spinach
Blend your veggies into a green smoothie
People who don’t like the taste of veggies make a green smoothie to make it delectable. Typically, they are made from various fruits and vegetables, like collard greens, broccoli, carrots, and spinach. Leafy greens and healthy fats, like avocado and nut butter, are common smoothie additions, as they work well when blended in.
On the other hand, adding greens powder is a better substitute for people who can’t get enough vegetables from grocery stores or local markets.
Try lettuce wraps
If you’re a fan of shawarma, cut down on calories by using lettuce to make a wrap. Using lettuce as a wrap is an easy way to eat more veggies. It can be part of several dishes that are often used to make low-carb sandwiches.
Cabbage leaves, butter lettuce leaves, and swiss chard make good wraps. They help in reducing your calorie intake because one lettuce contains one calorie.
Add veggies to tuna salad
Generally, tuna salad is made by mixing tuna with mayonnaise. It’s an easy and delicious snack to prepare without cooking. It is high in protein and healthy fats but low in calories.
You can get crunch from chopped vegetables (onions, carrots, spinach, and other herbs), lemon juice, and olive oil to increase the flavor and nutrient content.
Stuff some bell peppers
Bell peppers are a rich source of vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin A and Vitamin C. They are often used as spices in some dishes, but you can actually make a snack out of them. Stuffed bell peppers are made by stuffing halved bell peppers with green beans, rice, and cooked meat, then baking them in the oven.
If you prefer them raw and crispy, you can add layers of cream cheese, sliced chicken, and some seasoning for a cold dish. You can increase the nutritional value of stuffed bell peppers by adding extra veggies such as onion, sweet peas, carrots, broccoli, and root vegetables like sweet potatoes.
Make cauliflower rice
Cauliflower rice is made by crushing cauliflower florets in a food processor into tiny granules. You can use them raw or cooked as a substitute for white rice. It can also be used as a base for stews and soups.
Cauliflower rice is often cooked like fried rice, where you can add veggies, such as sweet peas, frozen vegetables, like corn and carrots, and broccoli. To make it even healthier, use olive oil.
Turn them into veggie chips
One great way to sneak veggies into your diet is to make them in the form of snacks. Usually, sweet potato is commonly used where it can be fried, dehydrated, or baked. Other vegetable chips you can try are kale chips, pita chips, beet chips, and radish chips.
Meanwhile, you can also add veggies to your diet by preparing savory oatmeal. Add in some fresh fruits, nuts, raisins, mushrooms, and kale to make a hearty, warm meal.
Why You Should Eat More Vegetables?
Here are some reasons why you should include eating more veggies into your healthy habits:
- They are a great source of vitamins and minerals that can help you reduce the risk of heart diseases, high blood pressure, and cancers.
- They help in weight management because they are low in calories and high in fiber. By eating more fruits and veggies instead of processed meat that are rich in unhealthy fats, you’ll find it easier to lose and control weight.
- Fruits and vegetables provide a natural energy source, giving the body many nutrients to keep it going. It also helps improve the immune system so that you won’t catch disease right away.
- Eating more vegetables can help increase fiber intake and potassium, which are essential nutrients most people don’t get enough in their diet.
- Vegetables may help sharpen the mind because of the antioxidants and folate they deliver to the brain.
Conclusion
Including veggies in your meals is necessary to improve your overall health. They are rich in nutrients and antioxidants to boost your immunity and improve weight management and energy source.
Since some find it hard to eat veggies, while others don’t know how to turn them into a delicious meal, just follow our tips above, so you can get an idea of a dish to do with your veggies.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to eat 5 servings of vegetables a day?
To meet your daily veggie intake, add vegetables to your favorite foods, such as carrots to spaghetti sauce, cauliflower rice to macaroni and cheese, or a leafy green to smoothies.
2. What happens when you start to eat more vegetables?
When you start to eat more vegetables, it can help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of developing some types of cancer, digestive problems, heart disease, and stroke. Moreover, it positively affects blood sugar levels, which helps you control your weight
—
