Beginners Guide to Eating More Veggies

I have a sweet tooth…actually that is an understatement…I am a dessert-aholic! But if I had to choose between no desserts or no vegetables…I would go with no deserts! And not for health reasons. They are absolutely delicious…and can’t imagine going a day without them, You can love them too, just let them grow on you, give yourself time to get used to them, and know how to prepare them in a way you will enjoy.

Everywhere you turn health and wellness experts are telling you to eat more fruits and vegetables. That’s no surprise as they’re full, and I mean FULL, of nutrition (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fiber, etc.). And numerous studies have shown that people who eat more fruits and vegetables live longer, healthier lives. Not to mention protecting their bodies and minds from just about every chronic disease out there.

In addition eating more vegetables can help you maintain a healthy body weight, and even lose some fat (as long as you don’t bread and fry them, or cover them with cream sauce).

So the question is not “Should I eat more fruits and vegetables,” but “How can I actually do it?”

This post is targeted towards those who absolutely hate veggies, who would remove even the lettuce and tomato from their burger! Yes I’m not just talking about kids, there are also adults out there that are like that unfortunately, But no judgement from me! I am here to help with some tips and tricks….in a few weeks when you (or a loved one) have gotten used to incorporating vegetables into your day, then we can move on to the the more “advanced” tips in this post.

It’s good to understand why people don’t like eating vegetables…do they really taste that bad? Well yes and no. There is such a large variety of vegetables out there…with completely different flavor profiles. Some are sweet, some are bitter, others are somewhere in between. Most people who don’t enjoy eating vegetables either never got used to eating them growing up and therefore didn’t get accustomed to the taste, or don’t know how to prepare them in a way to make them delicious. Or both.

Before we move on to the tips, I would like to clarify that I will be considering tomatoes and avocados as vegetables here and not fruit. Yes they are technically fruit….so are aubergines and pumpkin! Also just a quick mention of recommended serving sizes (details below), that way you can have a goal to work towards. So if you are having zero servings a day, moving on to 1 or 2 a day would be progress. After some time you can read the more advanced tipsand eventually you move to having 4-5 a day.

For optimal nutrition how many servings of vegetables should we (or our chidden) be eating per day?

Adults should consume 5 servings a day.
Children depending on age would be between 1- 4 servings per day. Toddlers should consume 1 serving a day, gradually progressing to 4 servings by the time they are teenagers.

What does 1 serving look like?

1 cup of raw leafy greens, 1/2 a cup of other vegetables such as broccoli, carrots or beetroot, and 1/2 a cup of vegetable juice.

No idea what that would mean? Here are a few examples:

Half of a large bell pepper
6-8 broccoli or cauliflower florets
1 medium carrot
1 large handful of baby spinach
Half a large sweet potato

On to my top veggie eating tips for beginners:

Sneak them into or on top of your favorite foods
- Love sandwiches? Why not add an extra slice of tomato, lettuce or cucumber to it? or use veggies as your sandwich “bread” by making a lettuce wrap.
- Love to bake? Shredded carrots or zucchini taste amazing in muffin sand quick breads. Also in pancakes.
- Love pizza? chop veggies such as sweet peppers and mushrooms really small and mix into the pizza sauce, you will barely feel it.
- Love dips like hummus? Instead of bread try some carrot, celery, or cucumber instead. And even better if you are making hummus at home, add steam veggies such as sweet potato or beetroot to it.
- Who doesn’t love french fries? Next time make baked sweet potato fries instead. And if you like chips then slice veggies such as sweet potato and beetroot really thin (using a mandolin makes it easier if you have one) mix with olive oil and roast to make homemade chips.
Have a sweet tooth? Smoothies are the answer
- adding vegetables to fruit smoothies is the easiest and sneakiest trick to eat more veggies. Have a go at this chocolate smoothie using cauliflower, or simply add a handful of fresh spinach (or 1/2 a cup frozen) to a simple smoothie made with frozen banana and berries. Other than change in color you won’t notice the taste as spinach is very mild tasting.
- Too cold for smoothies? Not a fan? Still have a sweet tooth? Bake vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot and beetroot with a little honey (or maple syrup) and olive oil and your choice of seasoning.
Have a go with these mild tasting vegetables to start
- Spinach
- Asparagus
- Carrots
- Red, orange or yellow peppers
- Cucumber
- Beetroots (especially sweet when roasted)
- Pumpkin or butternut squash
- Sweet potato (orange and purple are especially sweet)
Hide the taste with complimentary spices, fats or acid
- Adding lemon juice to steamed broccoli cuts the bitterness adding a simple fresh taste
- A sprinkle of parmesan or nutritional yeast with spices like onion and garlic powder on a baked sweet potato compliments its naturally sweet flavor
- Don’t be afraid of using a little fat to sauté your veggies to make them more enjoyable. Try sautéing them for 10 minutes with a drizzle of oil and flavor them with pepper, garlic, ginger or cumin.
Have them as a snack
- If including enough vegetables in each of your main meals is tough, have them as a snack instead. To ensure you don’t grab something else have them readily available, washed and chopped, in the fridge.

A couple last points….

I’m not a big fan of counting calories or dieting, however if you are looking to loose some weight, vegetables are the perfect food to eat more off. They are generally low in calories and high in fiber, perfect to achieve those weight loss goals. This is called the crowding out method – you eat more veggies and therefore crowd out high calorie and less nutritious foods.

And finally, at some point you will have to force yourself to eat veggies that you may not like, until you get more accustomed to the taste. Keep all those health benefits mentioned abovein mind to help get you through it.

Your Challenge

Take two of these suggestions and try them tomorrow. Just add two more veggies to the number you’re at today. Two more that’s all.

And if you’re not an instant fan, well, try again. Research shows that sometimes it takes our taste buds several tries before actually beginning to like a new flavor. Try it; you might just find some new faves.