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 add veggies to scrambled eggs in the morning for a quick and tasty omelet 🙂
I am in love with the green smoothie at PANERA. It has cucumbers and kale in it and it is so good. I also put veggies into anything I cook, whether it’s a casserole, pasta dish (using veggie pasta), or another of my from scratch, of the cuff creations. I don’t know if it’s anything I did, but all of my kids have a favorite veggie that they can’t get enough of.
I have a child who won’t eat veggies. So I pur?e them into almost everything I make even his favorite banana bread and carrot cake I also put them in my smoothie which he likes to steal. 🙂
I love veggies but my grandkids are not big fans of them so I hide them in other foods I know they like. Meatloaf gets carrots celery and peppers added, mashed potatoes get cauliflower. I try to find ways to incorporate them so they don’t see them. There are a few they will eat without putting them in with other things.
My new favorite is sugar snap peas… they are delicious .. honestly just a little oil and some season they are so good… also roasted green beans, I can fill my plate with those.
I actually LOVE pretty much all veggies!
One of the best ways to get veggies in is to “trick” our minds with veggie substitutes! One of my favorite foods is mashed potatoes but I’ve started using cauliflower instead of potatoes and you can hardly tell the difference! Another great use for cauliflower is as a homemade pizza crust! It’s gets nice and crispy and tastes so good!
There are so many great resources and recipes out there, we just have to look!
The more you eat veggies the easier it is…it becomes habit and then a craving. Love veggies as does my children 🙂 I’m always looking for new healthy recipes and guides to learn new things about healthy lifestyles.
I add carrots, green peppers, onions, and celery to spaghetti, chili, goulash, and other recipes. They don’t even know it’s in there!!
I was someone who would always reach for the pint of ice cream over an apple. 4 months ago I weighed 275… Now I weigh 240, and I am feeling better than I have in a long time. I started watching EWL on Hulu and was so inspired and since I didn’t really qualify to audition for your next season, I decided to take action and step up for myself. I wouldn’t say it is creative, but I have a insulated bag now packed with fresh veggies, fruits and healthy foods and I bring it everywhere I go. If I know that I will be out all day and my only possibility for meals is fast food, i always pack my lunch. I now crave the healthy stuff, and haven’t had ice cream in months (that’s a big step for me!!) I work out 5 days a week and drink as much water as I can. I have a lot to loose still, and a journey ahead of me, but you guys, (the Powell pack!) Have inspired me so much to live healthier and happier! Thank you for everything you have done for me and everything you do for other people. You have given so much hope to so many people, and I can only hope to one day have even just a fraction of the strength and kindness that you show. Thank you 🙂 you guys rock!!
When making a bolognese sauce I sneak in as many veggies as I can.
Eggplant, zucchini, carrot, spinach! So tasty and a great way to stop your self from having a meat heavy meal. Served on a bed of zucchini veggie pasta of course. Delish. !