What did the spud say to the celery?
Quit stalking me, internet reader!
I hope you enjoyed that corny joke. In all seriousness, you don't need to be a Registered Dietitian to know that vegetables are crucial for better health. So, I'm not going to tell you to eat them—I'm going to teach you how to ENJOY them.
Some of us already love veggies and eat a variety all the time, while others need to be nagged to eat the big green trees on their plate. If you're anything like the latter, you'll enjoy these five simple ways to incorporate more veggies into your diet!
1. Throw spinach into your favorite fruit smoothie. I promise you can't even taste it. The smoothie's color may be a little off-putting at first, but when you taste that sweet, delicious fruit, you'll wonder why you didn't try this sooner. Enjoy the extra vitamins and fiber as a bonus!
2. Pureé veggies into your pasta sauce. This typically works best with tomato-based sauces. Take your favorite marinara or vodka sauce (or make your own!), put it in a blender with some onions, carrots, peppers, spinach, broccoli, etc., and press the button. If you use creamier sauces, try pureeing some cauliflower in there!
3. Add veggies to your favorite foods. One of my favorite policies as a dietitian is "add, don't restrict," and this is a perfect example! Everyone should be able to enjoy their favorite foods, but we should strive to make them healthier! Grab that slice of warm, delicious pizza to honor your occasional craving, and throw on a couple of veggies for extra health benefits.
4. Add carrots and zucchini to chocolate muffins. Someone might call the police on me for saying that, but I PROMISE it works. On a weight loss journey, why not try a healthier version of baked goods instead of avoiding them altogether? So many recipes call for these added veggies! If you're short on time, they even have frozen pre-made ones sold in many flavors at most grocery stores. Throw them in the microwave, and you have a perfect dessert with veggies you won't even taste!
5. Got dip? Enjoy your favorite veggies while masking the taste. Some dips, like spinach and artichoke, already have vegetables in them, so you can double-dip on vitamins while you double-dip your veggies! This tip is very complex, so hold onto your phone ...
Step 1: Grab some hummus, guacamole, tzatziki, or any dip you choose.
Step 2: grab some veggies.
Step 3: eat.
Vegetables are certainly not my favorite food group, but I get so excited when I use these five tips because I enjoy delicious and nutritious food! And if you're a parent struggling with picky eaters at home, these tricks are perfect to win over everyone in the household.
Contact us today and let us know which tip you're going to try first!
