Congratulations to our book winner,
Christy Troxell-Thomas
Veggies are so awesome that even though they?re complex carbs, we?ve given them their very own group in carb cycling! In fact, you can eat 2 handfuls of non-root/non-starchy type veggies with every. single. meal. 🙂
So why do veggies deserve such a distinction? They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and have amazing health benefits:
- Decrease bone loss
- Boost your immune system
- Strengthen your heart and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke
- Help prevent kidney stones (based on my kidney stones experience from November, this is one awesome benefit!).
- Lubricate your joints
- Lower your risk of vision and digestive problems
- Provide cancer-fighting antioxidants
- Reduce obesity risk
- Help prevent Type 2 Diabetes
- Lower your blood pressure
Veggies pretty much nourish every part of your body! And one of their main benefits? They are so low in calories that you can fill up with veggies without even making hardly a dent in your daily calorie bank account. Try doing that with any other food group!
I?m often asked about fresh vs. frozen vs. canned veggies. While fresh, in season veggies are best, frozen and canned are great alternatives because fresh veggies start to lose their nutrients within days. Since the frozen and canned variety are picked and then processed at their peak, they continue to hold the majority of their nutrients for an extended period of time. Processing actually increases the lycopene found in tomatoes, which protects you against heart disease and even some cancers. And what?s the best part about choosing frozen or canned veggies? They allow you to eat your favorites year-round! They?re also quick and easy to prepare, and you?ll save money because you?ll throw away less due to spoilage. Just be sure to choose no sugar and low or no salt added varieties.
Since most people consume only about half of the recommended servings of veggies each day, here are some ideas to help you add more of these nutritional necessities into your diet:
- Add a handful of spinach to your smoothie. You won?t even know it?s there!
- Buy pre-washed bags of salad.
- Pre-package your own veggies for a healthy, on-the-go snack.
- Add veggies to sandwiches and soups.
- Choose to snack on veggies instead of other not-so-healthy options.
- Get creative?try something new! You might discover a new favorite. 😉
- Make sure your veggies are colorful!
- Just gotta? have ranch dip with your veggies? Try this healthier version: 1) Mix together equal parts each of onion powder, dried dill, and garlic powder. 2) Mix in three times the amount used for the ingredients in step 1 (if you used 1 tablespoon for step 1, use 3 tablespoons in this step) of dried parsley. 3) Add sea salt and pepper taste. 4) Add this mix (to taste) to plain nonfat Greek yogurt and enjoy!
What creative things do you do to incorporate more veggies into your day? Share your ideas in the comments below. Winner of the?autographed copy of Chris? book, Choose to Lose?was chosen randomly and announced on Friday, March 14, 2014.
Now go eat your veggies! 🙂
142 Responses
I make a big pot of veggie stew every Sunday, that way I can use up all my left over vegetables from the week before and I also have a healthy snack or light meal ready for any time I get hungry.
Add them to Mac n cheese for the kids. Add to soups. Add to cassoroles and family barley notices 😉 adding to smoothie is my favorite
Roast broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower in a little olive oil; put pumpkin in pancakes and waffles; make zucchini “zoodles” with a julienne peeler and top with roasted tomatoes and other stir-fried vegetables; dice sweet potatoes and colored bell peppers and place in the bottom of a breakfast bake (topped with ground turkey and egg/egg whites and baked); and my favorite: spinach, crimini mushroom, and turkey burgers!
Mushrooms are my fav, I think. I love them cooked or raw, in salads or pasta sauce, on pizza, in ravioli, on steak or smothered chicken…I luvs me some mushrooms!
We add veggies to just about everything! My favorite trick is to chop the veggies really fine and add them to burgers, sauces and meatloaf. They’re hidden (like spinach in a smoothie) and then you still put visible veggies on the plate. We usually buy mostly frozen so they last longer. Have a nice day everyone!
In combination with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables my family also bridges the gap with Juice Plus, 25 different encapsulated fruits and vegetables everyday!
Tomatoes and cucumbers
My favorite vegetables are not necessary the most nutrient-packed so I have recently added kale to smoothies and made kale chips to help pack in more vitamins. Also, when I first return home from the grocery store, I portion out carrots and celery into smaller sandwich bags so they are easy to grab on my way out the door in the morning. Easy to munch on throughout the work day – no excuses!
I drink a green juice before my morning shake which also have a handful of spinach (there are almost 3 servings of veggies). And at dinner I cook a veggie soup, it can be zucchini, carrot, squash, etc. just boiled the choice of veggie you want, add a little salt and water/coconut milk, spices that you like, blend it all and it’s ready to eat!, it’s the perfect entree and you don’t realize you’re eating just veggies there! Plus the veggies of the main dish. Love it!
Our family favorites are cucumber and carrots. My son just loves carrots, like candy to him! We love broccoli and cauliflower too but normally eat with ranch, thanks for.that recipe going to try it soon!!!