People are always arguing about the ultimate healthiest diet, but almost everyone agrees you can’t go wrong with eating more vegetables. Whether your goal is more energy, dropping weight or sleeping better, eating more fiber and vitamin-rich veggies is the way to go.Vegetables are not just nutrient bombs, they contain fiber, which helps sweep the intestines, promote bowel movements and feed beneficial bacteria in the gut.
On the 21-Day Body Makeover, we know that veggies are an important part of detoxing and find ways to add more of them for dinner, lunch, and snacks.
Boredom and bland taste are the top reasons why people don’t add more veggies to their plate. Here’s the secret. You don’t have to eat steamed veggie side dishes all the time. Creativity is key and drastic change is shocking, so try sneaking veggies into meals you already enjoy. Pretty soon your body and palate will start craving more veggies.
Ideas for sneaking veggies into favorite meals include topping pizza and tacos or stuffing your sandwich or omelet with an array of veggies. Go ahead and add cheese and sausage, there’s less guilt when your plate is also brimming with veggies.
Health Magazine posed a 21-Day veggie eating challenge to their readers, with helpful tips on eating more.
For example, if veggies languish and rot in your fridge because you can’t use them fast enough try them frozen instead. Frozen veggies are just as or more nutritious as fresh if frozen at the peak of ripeness. You can’t beat the convenience, which are always on hand and can be quickly tossed in a pan or pot to make stir fry or soup.
Grill or Roast Veggies
The way you prepare veggies also makes a huge difference in taste. Grilling or roasting veggies brings out their natural sweetness by caramelizing natural sugars. Swap out boiled or steamed veggies for ones tossed in olive oil and spices and cooked at high heat.
Make Soup!
Soups are always an easy and comforting meal in winter months. Just boil veggies with water or broth and puree. Add coconut milk, lime or fresh herbs for a pop of flavor. Eat veggie soup before dinner and notice how much less you eat of your entrée.
Veggie Snacks
Veggies also make great snacks. Kale chips are very popular and come in different flavors. Go ahead and snack all you want when you’re eating these nutrient-dense chips.
Veggie Smoothies
Smoothies are another great way to sneak in veggies. When you mix greens with fruit, milk of choice or nut butter you’ll be surprised at how the other flavors mask the taste of the greens. This is a great idea for a fast and nutritious meal or snack to go.
Make Veggies the Star of Your Meals
Lastly, stop thinking of vegetables as side dishes. They can also be the star of your meal. Have you ever made pasta out of zucchini (they’re called zoodles) or spaghetti squash? Just add your favorite sauce and toppings. How about stuffing peppers or tomatoes with meat, rice and more veggies? Try making a veggie burger from scratch (just add egg and almond flour to bind it) or muffins out of sweet potato. Just Google the recipes to find out how.
Finding new ways to enjoy veggies will make the difference between loving your new diet or detox program or cheating and dreading the process.
Some people say it takes three weeks of daily action to form a new habit. After you experience how light and energized you feel on the veggie-friendly 21-Day Body Makeover, you might just become a veggie addict. And you definitely won’t want to return to the heavy, less colorful diet of your past.