Nobody knows where the general loathing for vegetables comes from. It’s always there, though—from the time we’re little kids all the way up through adulthood: we are not fans of having to eat vegetables. Heck, even vegans and vegetarians will find foods that “disguise” their veggies—look at all of the veggie burgers, veggie “chicken” nuggets and soy alternatives there are in your grocery store. So how do you get over this “ick” factor and make sure that you do get your daily recommended dose of veggies?
Believe it or not, one of the major reasons that people do not like vegetables is that they have never eaten vegetables that were properly prepared. In the hands of an inexperienced cook, vegetables really can taste like “death on a fork.” One of the best ways to re-learn how to like vegetables (and fruit) is to learn how veggies are properly prepared. Simply cooking them until they look “all the way dead” won’t do it. In fact, that could be worse for you than undercooking them!
Start with small and sneaky ways of inserting veggies into your diet. You don’t have to forego the chips in favor of celery right away. Start with foods that are naturally rich in veggies. Spaghetti is a great way to get a few servings of fruits and vegetables—think of all of the tomatoes, onions and other flavorful additives it contains—bell peppers, onions, etc (depending, of course, on how you cook it). When you order pizza, make sure that there are plenty of veggie toppings along with the meats.
Top your ice cream with some berries or fruit! Ta-da, you’ve got a sundae! You could even opt for sorbet instead of ice cream since most sorbet is made with fruit instead of simple milk, flavorings and sugar.
Choose salsa instead of dip when you sit down for a snack of chips and dip. Salsa is healthier and can help you increase your veggie intake!
Go for the smoothie instead of the milkshake—it’s just as creamy and it’s better for you!
When you’re baking sneak some fruit and veggies in there. Make carrot or zucchini muffins. Try some banana bread.
Believe it or not potatoes can be counted as a vegetable! This doesn’t mean that you’re free and clear to have as many french fries as you want—but a baked potato or some mashed potatoes with dinner is a great way to get a serving of veggies in.
One of the biggest problems with making sure you eat your daily recommended allowance of vegetables is learning how to determine serving sizes. The food pyramid calls for 3 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit. A basic serving size is half a cup of veggies—raw, cooked or even pureed. A serving size of leafy greens is a single cup or between four and six ounces of juice. When you realize how small a portion size is, suddenly making sure that you get all of your servings each day doesn’t seem so hard!