Creative Ways To Add Vegetables Into Your Diet

Creative Ways To Add Vegetables Into Your Diet

Have you ever looked at the food pyramid or an ideal diet and thought, “Ugh, there’s no way I can eat that many fruits and veggies?” If you have, you’re not alone. Those five-seven servings seem almost impossible some days. Worry not; we’ve got you covered! In this blog, we’ll explore 8 creative and delicious ways to add more vegetables to your diet, making it easier and more enjoyable to fuel your body with essential nutrients. So, get ready to transform your meals and level up your health game with these Vibrant Nutrition expert ideas. Let’s dive in!

Here are eight creative ways to add vegetables into your diet

1. Add them to your eggs

Spinach, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, capsicum, asparagus and a whole number of vegetables taste absolutely fantastic with eggs. Scramble them up for a healthy breakfast or serve them in an omelette. You can get up to two servings of vegetables taken care of right at breakfast, a meal that often lacks vegetables.

2. Add them to your sandwich

Do you like guacamole? Add it to your turkey sandwich instead of mayo and you have a serving of vegetables. Add a slice of lettuce and a tomato to sandwiches and burgers. Try some grated carrot or beetroot in a wrap or sandwich for a change. Even consider using lettuce instead of bread for your sandwich.

3. Grab a veggie drink or green smoothie

Make sure it is a low sodium drink and contains leafy greens. This isn’t the ideal way to get your vegetables but in a pinch or on a particularly busy day it can help you get what you need. You can easily add a handful of spinach or section of carrot to any smoothie and surprisingly cauliflower and zucchini blend nicely without a strong flavour. Fresh produce is always best but frozen veggies are fine for convenience.

4. Pre-cut veggies and make them easy to snack on

Carrots, celery, peppers, broccoli and a number of other vegetables are easy to prepare in advance. Grab your favourite dip or hummus and snack on vegetables when you’re at work or just sitting in front of the television.

5. Eat a salad a day

It’s easy to make sure you eat a salad at lunch or dinner and one salad can provide two-three servings of vegetables. If you add a bit of protein to the salad like chicken, tofu, turkey or eggs then you have a complete meal. You don’t have to stick to lettuce, cucumber & tomato for your salad ingredients, you can cook vegetables and add them warm or cold for more variety. I’ll often cook extra sweet potatoes, roasted carrots or butternut squash at dinner to have leftovers in my lunch salad.

6. Puree vegetables and add them to sauces and baked goods

You’d be surprised what you can do with a pureed vegetable. Applesauce for example, without the added sugar, can be added to muffins and fruit breads instead of oil. Pureed cauliflower can be added to mashed potatoes and you can puree pumpkin & zucchini and add it to a number of soups and sauces. When following the Metabolic Balance Plan we often use pureed vegetables as a sauce.

7. Eat vegetable soups and use veggie-based sauces

Vegetable soups are very satisfying and they can provide you with a serving or more of vegetables. Sauces can be made from pumpkin, zucchini, tomatoes and herbs like basil for a tasty pasta topping. It’s convenient to cook, blend and freeze veggies for sauces. You can then just defrost a couple of cubes to add a nutritious sauce to your meal.

8. Easy vegetable swaps

Incorporating more vegetables into your meals can be as simple as making easy swaps in your favourite dishes. By replacing less-nutritious ingredients with nutrient-dense vegetables, you’ll not only boost the health benefits of your meals but also add variety to your plate. For instance, try using cauliflower rice instead of regular rice to create a low-carb, nutrient-rich alternative that pairs well with various cuisines.