You have probably heard a lot that you should include more vegetables in your diet that you eat more vegetables, and that is that most people, despite their best intentions, do not come close to the five recommended servings of vegetables every day. The average teenager eats less than two servings of vegetables per day, and adults do slightly better, but not much. If you want to know how to eat more vegetables in your day to day , follow these tips to get more vegetables in your diet.
Recommendations to include more vegetables in your diet
Estimate the nutritional level of vegetables
Find out and know the nutritional composition of the food you eat , what are its macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Substitute plant-based products for animal-based products that have similar nutritional profiles, paying special attention to micronutrients most commonly found in animal-based foods, such as vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and calcium.
Explore the greengrocer
Go ahead and experiment with a new vegetable or other plant-based food each week. This will force you out of your comfort zone and allow you to try new recipes.
Combine vegetables with other foods such as meat
What about proteins? There’s a reason vegetarians and vegans ask this question all the time: Animal products contain all nine essential amino acids needed to build protein. Of the plant-based foods, only quinoa and soy contain all of these nutrients. To get enough complete protein in your diet, combine a variety of plant foods: combine lentils and chickpeas and meat substitutes, such as tofu or seitan.
Get organized
When you’re short on time or tired, it’s easy to revert to old eating habits. Find an hour on the weekend to make several recipes or a great vegetable salad and save the portions for lunch and dinner the following week.
Cooking with spices
Thanks to ethnic dishes in vegetarian cookbooks or by searching the Internet, you will discover a world full of new flavors. The wide range of spices and the different ways of preparing food will help you make creative recipes and include more vegetables in your diet.
Eat vegetable snacks
Snacks between meals will help you not arrive hungry for lunch or dinner and also to include vegetables in your diet. Try slicing carrots or cucumbers and dipping them in hummus, celery and peanut butter, or a small cup of vegetable broth to ease the winter chill.
Turn the vegetables into spaghetti
Use sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchini, turnips or beets to replace the pasta, so you get many nutrients with few calories. To cut foods like spaghetti, you can help yourself with a vegetable grater. You can mix them with prawns, make them a la carbornara or eat them with a delicious pesto sauce.
Make vegetable wraps
Cut down on calories and carbohydrates with lettuce, cabbage leaves, and chard for a stuffed roll. It is an original and delicious recipe for lunch or dinner and an easy way to include more vegetables in your day to day.
Dare with the vegetable chips
Eating veggies doesn’t have to be boring, you can make veggie chips with beets, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, or kale. Just dip the thin slices or leaves with a little salt in the oven for a delicious and crunchy snack or use as a side.
