Easy Ways To Add More Vegetables Into Your Day
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Easy Ways To Add More Vegetables Into Your Day
You hear it all the time – eat more vegetables. We know that eating plenty of fresh veggies is fantastic for your health, your gut, your skin, your energy, your recovery… but how do you actually get them into your diet?
If you’ve been on the lookout for inspiration around how to eat more vegetables, these are the tips you need to try.
Start with what you already have
Before you completely overhaul your diet and overwhelm yourself, let’s work with what you already eat every day.
Love eggs on toast for breakfast? Add some wilted spinach – it takes 30 seconds to toss it in the pan with some olive oil. Eat a sandwich or wrap for lunch on weekdays? Smear some avocado on the bread or wrap for some healthy fats and fibre.
This approach will also increase your chance of establishing an ongoing habit. You’re already used to eating those foods and meals, so adding one serve of veg to them is an easy step to stick to.
Embrace smoothies
One of the best ways to both get veggies in and hide them if you’re not a fan? It’s got to be the smoothie. Smoothies blend up far more than what we would be capable of sitting down and eating. As a result, you fit more into your day without feeling overly full.
Need some veg-packed smoothie inspiration? Here are a few of my favourites:
Strawberry, Avocado And Banana Protein Smoothie
Carrot Turmeric Protein Smoothie
Get grating
One problem that a lot of people run into is thinking they have to eat huge chunks of vegetables. But grated veg is a great way to mix up the texture of your dish and make it easier to eat more veggies overall.
You can grate veg up for:
A grated salad or coleslaw
Adding to your sandwich or wrap
Throwing into some fritters or even a frittata
Mixing through pasta as veggie noodles
Bulking up your casseroles, soups and stews
Think outside the savoury box
If you think that vegetables can only be added to savoury dishes and recipes, now is time to take a different approach. There are plenty of vegetables that can be added to your favourite sweet treats, and you wouldn’t even know they are in there!
For example, you could add:
Zucchini into muffins
Carrot into carrot cake bliss balls
Sweet potato into brownies
If you’re not sure how to get started, stick to the bland veg like cauliflower or zucchini and naturally sweet options like sweet potato and pumpkin.
Blend & puree
Not a huge fan of veg, but know you need to get more into your day? It’s time to become best friends with your blender and start adding blended/pureed veg into your recipes.
If you love pasta, add some cauliflower puree to your cheesy, creamy sauces. Keen on burgers or meatballs? You can blend up some spinach and mix it into your ground meat to add nutrients without overpowering the flavour.
Add a side salad
Sometimes the easiest way to add veggies into your diet is to put them front and centre. So if you sit down to meals at the table with family or friends, make up a fresh salad and put it in the middle of the table. I bet that you’ll add some to your plate or bowl without even thinking about it!
Prep some crudites
If you love having something to crunch on, then it’s time to slice up some veggies into sticks and pop them in the fridge. That way, you can grab them whenever you find yourself getting the munchies.
This can also be a double veg opportunity if you pair it with a vegetable dip like a Mexican Layer Dip or a Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip.
Try something new
If you’re in a bit of a produce rut – eating the same veg over and over in the same recipes – it might be time to shake it up. You have a couple of options for this:
Use your favourite vegetable in a completely different way! Don’t just stirfry it or grill it like you do every single week, try something a bit different. For example, you might like to roast up a bunch of veg – this is my go-to Roast Vegetable Tray. Or if you always have your roast and veggies every week and need to mix it up, why not try serving it as a Roast Vegetable Salad instead?
Try a new vegetable. Head to your supermarket or green grocer and picked up a vegetable you’ve never had before, or at least never cooked with. Then have a quick Google for the best ways to prep it, and give it a go! You never know, celeriac chips or roasted radicchio could be your new favourite way to get your vegetables in.
Looking for more ways to be a little healthier every day? It’s not about the big changes, but the small shifts that you make.
Looking for nutrition tips and healthy hacks to help you feel better?
Hey there, I’m Rachel!
NUTRITIONIST, PERSONAL TRAINER, WELLNESS COACH
Here I share healthy recipe ideas, training plans, and nutrition & wellness advice you need to know.
Check out my free guide to healthy eating to design your own version of a healthy lifestyle so that you can feel energised and vibrant, or hire me to work my magic on your health through mindset, nutrition, and movement.
While we make every effort to make sure the information in this website is accurate and informative, the information does not take the place of professional or medical advice.