Sep 26, 2012

Challenge Yourself to Add an Extra Veggie to Every Meal

Looking for a quick way to boost the nutritional punch of your meals, reduce calorie intake, or just eat better food? How about adding an extra vegetable per meal, every day, to increase your vitamin, mineral and fiber intake? It’s surprisingly easy, takes very little effort, and can really improve your diet. Try the challenge – add a veggie (or two) to every meal, starting today. Your body will thank you for it! Here are a few suggestions on how to add some veggies to your meals throughout the day:

Breakfast

Consider adding spinach, mushrooms, and onions to your morning breakfast for vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and iron. Add leafy green veggies to your morning smoothie to get more vitamins and up to 10% your daily value of iron. Zucchini can be added to muffins or pancakes and yummy avocado salsa can be added to the top of savory breakfasts or fruit salads. Keep adding veggies to your morning meal; soon it will be second nature.

Lunch

A quick and easy lunch addition includes crudités (fresh cut veggies) and hummus, roasted vegetables, or baked yams. Even if you’re already including veggies in your lunch, it may be time to break out of a rut and include something new to get different nutritional benefits. Make a big batch of vegetarian chili or quinoa salad with fresh veggies and have a healthy, easy lunch all week long.

Dinner

Here is a perfect opportunity to test out some new recipes or to add a few new vegetables to a tried and true favorite. Try out some eggplant (good source of manganese and fiber) or make a meal out of a portobello mushroom cap by adding a variety of toppings including broccoli and cauliflower. Make a salad into a meal by adding nutrient-dense vegetables like kale and spinach. For side dishes try steamed or lightly sautéed veggies, or include some more crudités and hummus! Don’t forget to add veggies to you daily snacks to give yourself energy throughout the day, manage your blood sugar, and cut down on empty calories. Keep a bag of baby carrots on hand in case of a snack emergency – they’ll keep you from reaching for less healthy snack choices.