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10 Delicious Ideas to Eat More Vegetables and Love it!

By Diane Hanson

There’s no doubt about it, vegetables are really good for you. Densely-packed with a slew of different vitamins and minerals plus a bunch of powerful phytochemicals, veggies carry many health-promoting benefits that you simply can’t ignore.

As you may already know, Vitamins and minerals play an important role in helping your body to function optimally and stay healthy. For example, beta-carotene (a provitamin that your body converts into Vitamin A) acts as a potent oxidant, protecting you from the harmful effects free radicals and oxidative stress. Free radical damage within cells has been shown to complicate or cause a number of chronic degenerative diseases such as cataracts, osteoarthritis, heart disease and diabetes.

Aside from being a strong disease-fighter, veggies also help to keep your weight down, thanks to their low calorie, low fat and high dietary fiber (both soluble and insoluble) content.

Soluble fiber, which is found in tubers like potato, swells up in water and forms a gel-like substance during digestion. This process helps slow digestion to make you feel fuller for hours so you’re less likely to overeat. Research has also noted that consuming 10-25 grams soluble fiber per day can lower cholesterol by 18%.

Insoluble fiber in cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, adds bulk to your stool and speed up defecation process. Thus beneficial in conditions like chronic constipation. In addition, adequate intake of insoluble fiber has been associated with a reduced risk for type II diabetes.

Unfortunately, many people, particularly young adults, are not eating enough vegetables these days. This is due to a variety of reasons which may include taste, cost and time constraints of preparing them. However, consuming regular servings of veggies doesn’t have to be a chore. Here are a few delicious eat-more-vegetables ideas to help you make greens as much of your diet as possible.

How Do You Get More Vegetables into Your Diet?

1. Got a serious case of the munchies? Ditch those diet-wrecking gresy chips and go for nutritious raw vegetable sticks – carrot, cucumber, celery – instead. Dip them in low fat salad dressing, hummus, peanut butter, or almond butter.

2. Toss raw shredded broccoli and cauliflower with some Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese to make a flavorful side dish. If you simply hate the taste of raw vegetables, lightly blanch them is salted water for 1 minute to remove the bitterness.

3. Love chunky-textured sauces? Try adding some chopped vegetables, such as zucchini, onions, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes to store-bought pasta sauces.

4. Slip romaine lettuce and alfalfa sprouts to spruce up a pita sandwich. If you’re a huge fan of peanut butter sandwich, add grated carrots in place of jam for a naturally sweetened taste without too many calories.

5. Keep a bag of frozen vegetables in your freezer to throw into soups, stews, casseroles and stir-frys. You may also want to add a bit of freshly grated ginger root to kick things up a notch.

6. Toss a handful of vegetables such as spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms or tomatoes into your omelet.

7. Think out of the box and grill your vegetables instead. Brush eggplants pr zucchini with a bit of canola oil and grill them for a few minutes on each side over medium heat.

8. Make vegetable smoothie with carrot, broccoli, tomato, kale and onion. This nutrient-densed beverage is a great way to start your day off right.

9. Looking for a low carb alternative to pasta? Slice zucchini, eggplant or spaghetti squash, on mandolin lengthwise to create thin strips. Then top noodles with your favorite pasta sauce.

10. Have a vegetarian pizza instead of meat or seafood pizza. Alternatively, ask for more vegetable toppings (like portobello mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, and red onions) and less cheese on your regular pizza.

how do i get more vegetables into my diet

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