Increasing your veg intake is one of the most important changes you can make to improve your diet and consequently your overall health. Benefits of eating a variety of vegetables:
- Packed with nutrients
- Contain phytochemicals like anti-oxidants that fight cell damage
- Improve immunity
- Reduce the risk of diseases like diabetes, heart disease and some cancers
- Contain a high percentage of water improving hydration
- High in fibre to keep digestion moving
- Improve appearance of skin (that youthful glow!)
Here’s how to get more:
- Make vegetables the star of the show, not just the usual carrots and broccoli on the side because you know you are supposed to eat vegetables. Go shopping somewhere colourful like the farmer’s markets and stock up. Then use the veg you have in the fridge to create your meals, rather than basing your meals on meat or carbohydrates. e.g. If you have half a pumpkin to use up – Roast pumpkin and pine nut salad with sliced oven baked chicken breast.
- Sneak them into your regular meals. e.g. Add frozen peas to your spag bol, a big bunch of spinach into a lamb curry, chopped red cabbage into a beef stir-fry.
- Eat them for breakfast. e.g. Scrambled eggs with kale, spinach, spring onion and broccolini mixed through. Mushrooms, spinach and rocket with thyme and butter on sourdough. Banana smoothie gone green with spinach and baby kale blended in.
- Eat them again at lunch. Whatever you are eating, just add vegetables. Omelette with sliced baby capsicum, rocket and feta cheese. Thinly sliced cucumber and radish for a crunchy sandwich. Roast root vegetables and add to baby green salad leaves with pepitas and olive oil.
- You guessed it… eat them again at dinner.
Image: Lunch – Asparagus, watercress, sunflower seeds, haloumi and lemon.
Kelly Moriarty