Eating More Fruit And Veggies Doesn’t Have To Be Hard

Getting enough fruit and veggies  is essential to your health and well being. The fiber, vitamins, and water that fruit and veggies provide are things your body need to function and look its best. If you are struggling to get enough fruit and veggies in your diet check out my tips below that will make it easy to eat more healthfully.

Fruit and Veggies Are Essential

So you probably already know some of the health benefits of increasing your fruit and veggie intake. It can improve your skin, hair, and nails and help your digestive tract. You may be surprised to find out that it can also reduce your chances of an early death, read this from The Alternative Daily for more info.

But maybe you’re just, not a big fan on veg? Maybe you’re stuck for ideas on how to eat more fruit? Well don’t worry, let’s take it meal by meal and see what we can do to get you to up your fruit and vegetable consumption.

Breakfast

Some people struggle with breakfast, skipping it altogether or grabbing something unhealthy on the go. This is not an ideal breakfast as you need something to literally ‘break your fast’ from when you’ve been sleeping. A balanced breakfast, at a regular time every morning is a much better idea. So what does a balanced breakfast look like? It will include protein, slow-release carbohydrates and of course either fruit or vegetables.

If you have a sweeter tooth, go for fruit with your breakfast.  Try a low sugar granola with low-fat yogurt and fresh fruit, a fruit salad bowl or as a treat pancakes with blueberries.

If you favor a more savory start to the day, why not try an omelet with spinach, red peppers and some low-fat cheese, or mushrooms on toast?

If time is tight in the morning why not try some overnight oats? This is when you soak porridge oats overnight in a mixture of either yogurt or milk. They soften and become infused with the flavor and are delicious in the morning. Add peanut butter and banana for a delicious treat all go for apple and cinnamon for a yummy all american variation.

Lunch

Lunchtimes can be difficult. You could be at work or school, so you’ll need to buy food there or take a packed lunch.  Also, we often see sandwiches, rolls, and subs as a traditional lunchtime option. I am here to tell you to ditch the bread completely or only have it very occasionally.

If you are eating out and it’s a choice between soup and a sandwich, go for the soup every time. In fact, soup is a fantastic way of getting lots of veggies into your diet. It is delicious, and if you are at home you can make yourself, and you will know exactly what goes into it. Try tomato, leek, and potato or even Stilton and broccoli. All you need to do is take a large pot, sweat some onions, celery, and carrots and add your vegetable of choice in a little oil. Then add some vegetable stock and simmer adding a few diced potatoes for thickness. When all the vegetables are  cooked through, blend with a hand mixer and serve. In this way, it is very easy to increase your vegetable intake as that is four types in just one meal!

Other lunch options that can be useful for increasing your vegetable consumption are salads.  Why not try a salad filled with your favorite vegetables like pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, and cooked aubergine. Or you could embrace the new spiralizing trend and go for some zucchini pasta with tomatoes? The spiralizer is a great piece of kit, because when trying to include more veggies in your meals it provides a novel way to prepare them. It also allows you to use vegetables in place of carbs,  for example pasta or noodles.

Dinner

The majority of the vegetables that you eat at the moment probably come from your daily dinner. But it is very easy to fall into the same old routine. Potatoes, carrots, and one green vegetable can get very boring after a week or two, so why not change up the vegetables that you have at your main meal?

A good way of doing this is to make the vegetable the star, rather than just a side dish. Check out some vegetarian and vegan cookbooks for some tasty inspiration like this potato and asparagus frittata.  Consider how to make vegetables like asparagus, broccoli or artichoke the main ingredient in your meals.

Another fun activity is to grab a list of vegetables and make sure that you buy one new vegetable off the list every week. You might come across things you haven’t had before, but that is all part of the fun and excitement as you get to try new things while being more healthy.

Also, be careful of how your food is being cooked. Yes, potatoes, onions, and pickles are all vegetables, but they lose their nutritional value if you cover them in batter and deep fry them. Raw veg is the best but lightly steamed veg will hold in all the good stuff you need too.

Snacks

There isn’t any excuse for not eating fruit as a snack, as it’s often naturally portioned and easy to take with you on the go. However some people still find it a bit difficult to get into this habit.

A good way of increasing the amount of fruit and veggies that you can have at snack time is to  plan your snacks along with the other meals for the week. Make sure you include one portion of raw veg like carrots,  peppers,  or cucumbers and one piece of fruit like an apple, orange, or  banana each day. You can also add packets of dried fruit or home-made vegetable crisps. Make homemade vegetable crisps with this exciting gizmo, so you don’t have to use any added fat. They are perfect for those times when an apple just isn’t sorting your snack cravings.

Remember getting a good variety of fruit and veggies in your diet at each meal time is the key. If you get bored with eating fruit and veg, then you won’t eat as much and won’t reap the health benefits.

• Images:  Omelet   Prep  Onion Rings  Oranges Fruit and Veggies