The Veggie Challenge
Dr. Michelle Hagel ND
Eating enough vegetables everyday can be quite challenging. I hear from so many people that they know they should eat more vegetables and they want to, they just don’t know how. Here are 7 easy ways to incorporate more vegetables into your diet, and hide the taste from the pickiest of eaters.
Healthy Tips Northwest Calgary
1. Soups, Chillis and Stews: Think all the vegetables in a bowl of chicken noodle soup they are virtually undetectable. Homemade soups and stews are one of my favourite things, especially if the broth is made from scratch- there is so much valuable nutrition in bone broth. Then you can add all kinds of vegetables: carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, sweet potatoes, zucchini, chopped up kale… use your imagination. When vegetables are in chili, soups, and stews, they get really soft and tasty.
2. Super Smoothies: My other favourite hider of the vegetables! I promise you that you won’t be able to taste a handful of spinach or kale in your smoothie if it is paired with some protein powder, berries, almond/coconut milk, nuts etc. Some people don’t like the texture of kale, just ensure that you have blended it enough. I’ve added all kinds of greens to my smoothies and even carrots and cooked beets without tasting any of them.
3. Availability: Have veggies on hand, stock up on them when you’re at the grocery store. Cut them up and have them ready to just grab when you reach into the fridge for a snack. Or cook extra the night before with dinner and have the leftovers available.
4. Get creative: Dehydrate or bake veggies so that they are crunchy and satisfy those chip cravings. Homemade baked kale chips, baked sweet potatoes fries, or baked green beans. Try cooking vegetables different ways try it raw, steamed, boiled, baked, roasted, BBQ, stir-fried, or pureed. Each method will taste completely different.
5. Sauces and Dips: If you don’t like the vegetables plain, try them with healthy dips, like salsa, guacamole, hummus, dressing or yogurt based dips.
6. Fancy up that salad: If salads aren’t your thing, think about trying different dressings, or making your own. Use spinach, kale and mixed greens instead of just lettuce. Add some nuts, seeds or protein (chicken, tuna, shrimp etc.)
7. Weekly New Veggie Challenge: Commit to one new vegetable a week, try eating the selected vegetable every or even every second day, we don’t want you to get sick of it. You will be surprise how after consuming a vegetable consistently you will start liking it even if you didn’t before.
Increase your intake of veggies and improve your health! If you have questions, contact us today! We would love to hear from you.