My first memory of eating a vegetable was as a little girl when I accidentally bit into a raw potato thinking it was a freshly sliced apple! Yuck! That mistake made me avoid potatoes for nearly 20 years! I wonder if this is one reason why Americans are woefully lacking in their daily consumption of vegetables – maybe they also had a bad experience with vegetables as a kid?!
How about you? What is your current relationship with vegetables? Are you above average and eating the recommended six to eight servings of vegetables every day? Sadly, for those of us over the age of 50, less than 10% are meeting that benchmark.
Before we talk about HOW to eat more vegetables every day, let’s be reminded about WHY it’s so important. Vegetables contain an impressive amount of nutrients. Consuming the recommended daily number of servings is linked to a lower risk of many diseases, including diabetes, obesity, heart disease and some cancers. Many studies have even shown that eating the recommended number of servings each day may even extend one’s life.
If you are among the few that are already eating a plentiful variety of vegetables each day I hope this article will give you a few more great ideas of how to continue your healthy habit. And, if you are among the majority who is currently not eating the recommended amount, I hope this article will encourage you to embrace a new habit and find ways to enjoy consuming six to eight servings of vegetables each day.
You might be wondering, “What is a serving size?” Maybe the thought of eating six to eight servings of vegetables seems impossible to you – or simply distasteful. The standard for a serving is about four to six ounces. But who has a scale in their kitchen to weigh out their servings? Here are some examples of one serving size of vegetables:
- ½ cup raw or 1 cup cooked vegetables
- ½ cup cooked legumes (lentils, peas, chickpeas / hummus, lima beans, kidney beans, etc.)
- 3 cups dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, arugula, collard greens, etc.)
- ½ of a medium white/gold or sweet potato
- 1 medium tomato
And here’s a quick trick that might help you plan how you’ll get your servings throughout the day. Try the 1-2-3 approach to eating your daily vegetables developed by the Mayo Clinic:
- Eat 1 serving of vegetables with breakfast
- Eat 2 servings of vegetables with lunch
- Eat 3 servings with dinner (or 2 with dinner and sneak in one as a snack)
And rest assured that there is no measurable difference between consuming fresh or frozen vegetables. In fact, frozen can be more nutritious since they are often picked at the point of optimum ripeness and flash frozen to maintain nutrition. Please avoid canned vegetables since they are often packed with a high amount of sodium. Buy organic if your budget allows, but it’s more important to eat a wide variety of vegetables than to worry about whether they are organic.
I found many great tips for how you can easily follow the 1-2-3 approach to enjoying more and more vegetables each day. These tips also include ideas for fruit. Remember, your goal is six to eight servings of vegetables each day; feel free to enjoy several servings of fruit in addition to the vegetables – but not as a replacement to your daily vegetable minimum!
Breakfast
- Add vegetables, such as peppers, onions, spinach and peppers to omelets, hash browns or breakfast potatoes.
- If you have a blender, consider making a fruit and veggie smoothie! Or, better yet, ask the kitchen to make one for you 🙂 Simple smoothie: handful of spinach, frozen strawberries and pineapple, half of a banana, ice, and water (or almond milk).
Lunch
- Request extra vegetables in your sandwich or wrap (lettuce, tomato, avocado, cucumber, sprouts, etc.).
- Order a vegetable or lentil soup to go along with your lunch.
- Start every meal with a green salad. Build your salad with at least two cups of dark leafy greens. Consider adding lightly steamed and chopped broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and/or green beans to your salad. *Steamed veggies are easier to chew and to digest.
- Top half a baked white or sweet potato with salsa or steamed broccoli.
Dinner
- Request extra vegetables to add to your stir fry: carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, bok choy – so many options!
- Add a side of broccoli to your pasta or rice dish.
- Order a vegetable or lentil-based soup AND a salad to start your meal!
Snacks
- Ask the kitchen for some raw or lightly steamed vegetables to keep on hand for an easy snack (I love lightly steamed baby carrots, sweet potato slices, broccoli, cauliflower, green beansand so much more). Use a small amount of Dijon mustard or hummus for a delicious dip.
- Ask the kitchen for some apple slices, baby carrots or celery to dip in nut butter.
- Sprinkle some cinnamon on your apple slices!
There you go. Lots of great ideas and ways for you to add more vegetables to your meals. We’d love to hear from you if you have other tips and tricks. And if you are new to eating six to eight servings of vegetables each day give us a call at 240-406-1265 so we can encourage you and celebrate your success with you!