7 Tips for Eating More Vegetables Every Day
We all know eating more vegetables is good for us, right? So why do most Americans not get enough servings of vegetables in their diet every day? According to the CDC, about 9 out of 10 us adults and kids don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Have you made the decision to eat more vegetables?
Eat more vegetables
I often fill up on processed, empty calorie foods. Mostly because it’s easy and convient. I like vegetables but opening up a box or putting something in the microwave takes a lot less effort. But I have made the decision to eat more vegetables every day. And maybe you have too since you’ve found this post.
Vegetables provide us with vitamins and minerals our bodies need to thrive. They also help to keep us full. So we’re not digging the the fridge 30 minutes after we’ve had a meal.
How to get started with Eating more vegetables
To get started eating more vegetables you should make a list of vegetables you like to eat. If your list is short write another list of veggies you are willing to try.
After you have your list find out what vegetables are in season. This way they are more accessible. Vegetables such as carrots, leafy greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes are easy to find in the produce section.
Tips for eating more vegetables
- Eat a salad every day
- Make vegetable soups
- prep your veggies for the week
- Add veggies to your smoothie
- Cauliflower Rice
- Turn root vegetables into chips
- Eat a serving of vegetables at breakfast
Eat a Salad Every Day
Eating a salad is the easiest way to consume a bunch of veggies. Using two cups or big handfuls of leafy greens will be a couple of servings of vegetables. Then adding on toppings like cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes will make another serving. Then add a protein and some dressing and you have a meal.
Salads are easy to meal prep on the weekend. You can either throw all your ingredients together. Or you can prep all your veggies and store them separately until you are ready to eat your salad.
I love making these mason jar salads. They look cute in the fridge and are convenient to grab and eat at lunchtime.
This steak fajita salad is hearty for diner time. It has everything fajitas have minus the tortilla.
If you love ranch like I do check out this recipe Dump Ranch recipe from Whole Sisters. If delicious and great on salads or to use as a dip.
Make Vegetable Soups
I love making soups because it’s a one-pot dish. The fewer dishes I have to wash the better! With so many different varieties of soup recipes out there you’ll never get bored.
This Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup from Love and Lemons is packed with veggies. You can follow the recipe or throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand. This is a good way to use up produce that is getting ready to go south.
This Cabbage Soup recipe from EatWell is another soup recipe that calls for a lot of veggies. It has cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, and tomatoes. You can make it for dinner then use leftovers for lunch.
I love using this cast iron dutch oven when I make soup.
Prep Vegetables for the week
Prepping your veggies for the week doesn’t mean you have to cook them all at once. You can peel, dice, and chop them. So you have one less step to make your meal. Peeling and chopping onions and garlic feels like it takes me forever! I like chopping my onions and peeling my garlic on Sundays or when I get back from the grocery store. That way it’s one less task I have to do.
Also, I roast a lot of the veggies I buy. Like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and spaghetti squash. I’m more likely to add those into my meals for the week by doing this. Rather than putting the vegetables away and forgetting about them.
Add Vegetables to You Smoothies
If you drink smoothies or protein shakes adding vegetables to them makes getting extra servings in a lot easier. I have a protein shake every day and like adding cauliflower rice and a handful of spinach or kale to it. The cauliflower rice makes the shake thicker. And I can’t taste the added veggies.
I also like to steam beets and add them to smoothies. I do this to sneak more vegetables into my kids’ diet. Since they refuse to eat them:)
Cauliflower Rice
Speaking of cauliflower rice you can add it to a lot of things. Like I mentioned above it’s great to add to smoothies or shakes to make them thicker. But you can also add cauli rice to regular rice to give you a bigger serving. Try adding to your oatmeal to feel like you’re getting more.
Substitute cauli rice for rice dishes. If it’s Mexican night try this Mexican Cauliflower Rice dish.
you can easily find riced cauliflower at the grocery store. But it is also easy to make. Here’s a video to find out how.
Eat Veggies at Breakfast
If you have a serving of veggies at each meal you’ll meet your goal of eating more vegetables each day. If you’re not used to eating vegetables at breakfast give it a try.
- Add cauliflower rice to your oatmeal.
- Service sunny side up eggs on a bed of spinach
- Make an omlet with peppers and spinach
- Scamble eggs with sauted bell peppers and kale
- Add a side of roasted broccoli with whatever your having for breakfast
These are some ideas of how you can add vegetables to your first meal of the day.
Vegetable Chips
Do you love the crunch of chips? Instead of buying a bag of chips at the store try making your own instead. Try a variety of root veggies like beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, and parsnips. Here’s a video to help you bake them up in your oven.
Common Questions/FAQ About Eating more vegetables
Eating more vegetables has many health benefits, such as reducing your risk of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases. Choose a variety of vegetables to get the most benefit, including dark leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and colorful fruits and vegetables.
Vegetables add a variety of vitamins and minerals to your meals. They also add more sustenance to your meals. Helping you to feel full and satisfied.
The 5 benefits of eating vegetables are raising your fiber consumption, reduce the risk of chronic diseases, lowers the risk for heart disease, and can help you to lose weight.
Add a serving or two to every meal. When you’re hungary between meals snack on veggies. When you add veggies to every meal it won’t be difficult to get 5 servings a day.
It can help. To lose weight you need to consume less calories than your used to having. So if you’re deep frying for vegetables you most likely won’t be losing weight. Many vegetables are high in fiber. And fiber helps you to feel full for a longer amount of time than consuming calories. So eating more vegetables can help you eat less. Which can lead to weight loss.
The Last Thing You Need to Know about eating more vegetables every day
Eating more vegetables are good more you. The add more vitamins and minerals into your daily diet. Also the can help with weight loss or maintaining your weight by keeping you full and satisfied for longer amount for time. Compared to others foods with empty calories.
It can be hard at first to start eating more vegetables. But you can try adding a serving to each of your meals. Also if you don’t like the way they taste experiment with how you cook them. Or hide them in other foods.
Hopefully these tips will help you get more veggies into you daily diet. How are you planing to eat more vegetable every day? Let me know in the comments:)
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