Milly Gaines
Eating vegetables is essential for a healthy diet. They are rich in nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which can help prevent diseases and maintain a healthy weight. While many people do not eat enough vegetables, incorporating them into your diet can be easy and tasty. Here are some simple ways to add more veggies to your meals and improve your health.
How to add more veggies to your diet
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Health Benefits | Weight management, heart health, cancer prevention, chronic disease prevention |
| Recommended Daily Intake | 2-3 cups of vegetables per day (or 10-21 cups per week) |
| Creative Ways to Eat Vegetables | Add to eggs/omelettes, soups, smoothies, curries, sandwiches, salads, pizzas, roasted veggies |
| Types of Vegetables to Eat | Leafy greens, red and orange veggies, starchy veggies, green veggies, blue and purple veggies |
| Other Tips | Set a goal of eating 1 portion of veggies per meal, use veggies as wraps/buns, add veggies to favourite recipes |
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What You'll Learn
Add veggies to breakfast
Breakfast is often touted as the most important meal of the day, so why not make it the most nutritious? Here are some ideas for adding veggies to your morning meal:
Omelettes and Scrambles
If you or your family already enjoy eggs for breakfast, adding some veggies is an easy next step. You can add chopped vegetables like onions, bell peppers, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, and mushrooms to your omelette or scramble. If you're feeling adventurous, you can even try adding grated zucchini or carrots to your egg mixture before cooking. For a more indulgent option, turn your veggie-loaded egg scramble into a breakfast quesadilla by placing it between two tortillas with some cheese.
Pancakes and Waffles
Pancakes and waffles are a great way to sneak in veggies, especially for kids. Try adding grated zucchini, carrots, or beets to your batter. You can also experiment with different colours, like pink beetroot pancakes or waffles.
Smoothies
Smoothies are a fantastic way to add veggies to your breakfast, especially if you're short on time in the morning. Try blending spinach, kale, or even zucchini with some fruit and liquid base like juice, milk, or yoghurt. If you're making a smoothie bowl, you can top it with some grated carrot or beetroot for an extra boost of veggies.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal doesn't have to be sweet. Try making a savoury oatmeal by adding mushrooms, kale, or even some riced cauliflower. If you're looking for something sweeter but still wanting a veggie boost, try grated carrot or zucchini in your oatmeal, or add some pureed pumpkin or butternut squash.
Breakfast Pizza
If you're feeling creative, try making a breakfast pizza loaded with veggies. Top a pizza base with vegetables like bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, asparagus, and potatoes. Add some eggs, cheese, or meat for a hearty breakfast.
There are endless ways to add veggies to your breakfast. Start with small changes and experiment with different combinations to find what you enjoy most!
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Make soups and stews
Making soups and stews is an excellent way to add more vegetables to your diet. They are a simple way to enjoy a lot of veggies as a main dish. You can make a large batch and freeze portions for a quick and easy meal later.
There are many different types of vegetable soups and stews to try, such as minestrone soup, lentil soup, or a vegetable stew. You can also get creative and make your own combinations. For example, start with a base of onions, carrots, and celery, and then add any other vegetables you like, such as broccoli, pumpkin, peas, mushrooms or zucchini. You can also add beans or chickpeas for extra protein and bulk.
If you are short on time, you can buy pre-chopped vegetables or use a food processor to quickly chop up a large batch of veggies. You can also save time by making your soup in a slow cooker, which allows you to leave it unattended while it cooks.
To make your soup even more filling and nutritious, you can add whole grains like quinoa, farro, or barley, or legumes like lentils or beans. You can also top your soup with a source of healthy fats, such as avocado, nuts, or seeds.
If you are looking for a lighter option, especially during the warmer months, you can make a cold soup like gazpacho, which is typically made with blended tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and other vegetables.
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Bulk up sandwiches
Sandwiches are a great way to add more veggies to your diet. To bulk up your sandwiches, start with a fiber-rich bread, such as sprouted grain or a whole wheat wrap, as a foundation to keep you full.
For the fillings, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and dark leafy greens go well with tuna fish sandwiches. You can also spread mashed avocado on whole grain bread and add sliced tomatoes, or make a Greek Chicken Salad Sandwich with cucumbers, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and red onion, combined with feta cheese on a hearty hard roll.
If you're in the mood for turkey, add strips of green or red peppers and arugula, or try avocado and turkey wraps with a chipotle avocado spread. For a vegetarian option, stack your sandwich with hummus, creamy avocado, and crunchy greens, or make a grilled cheese with eggplant and tomato.
You can also add roasted vegetables to a bun with hummus, or make a Provolone Veggie Party Sub loaded with colorful veggies and a little melty cheese. If you're craving a BLT, try a Salmon BLT to dial down the sodium and fat and get a hit of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
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Try meat alternatives
A plant-based diet does not necessarily mean the total absence of animal products. You can take a flexitarian approach, where small amounts of quality animal-based foods are consumed alongside significant amounts of plant foods.
If you're trying to eat less meat, keep a plant-based option on hand for when you don't know what to cook. This makes it easy to default to a plant-based meal without having to work too hard.
There are many meat alternatives that can be used in recipes. Tofu, tempeh, and seitan are plant-based and made from soybeans or wheat gluten. They can be used as a replacement for meat in any recipe. Tofu is a perfect swap for chicken, and tempeh works well for fish dishes due to its flaky texture. Seitan is one of the most high-protein meatless substitutes, with up to 25 grams of protein per cup.
Jackfruit is another fruit that can be used in savoury dishes as a meat substitute. When shredded and cooked, it can be used in place of pulled pork.
You can also use vegetables as meat substitutes. Eggplants have a rich, meaty taste and are very versatile. They can be used in dishes such as eggplant parmigiana, eggplant burgers, and vegan mozzarella-stuffed eggplant meatballs.
Cauliflower is another versatile vegetable that can be used as a low-carb rice substitute or pizza crust.
Some meat substitutes may be highly processed and high in saturated fats, fillers, sugar, artificial colours, or sodium. It is generally better to use fresh, natural produce to create your own meat alternative dishes, such as homemade veggie burgers.
You can also include extra veggies in casseroles to increase your vegetable intake while adding bulk, texture, and taste.
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Eat a rainbow
Eating a rainbow is a great way to ensure you're getting a variety of nutrients and antioxidants, as well as making your meals vibrant and exciting. Here are some tips to help you eat a rainbow and add more veggies to your diet:
Red: Think of red peppers, tomatoes, and onions. These vegetables are rich in lycopene, an
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Frequently asked questions
There are many creative ways to incorporate vegetables into your diet without getting bored, such as adding grated carrots and cubed sweet potatoes to a chilli or sprinkling peppers, onions, tomatoes and leafy greens into an omelette. You can also replace lasagne noodles with zucchini or use lettuce as a wrap instead of bread.
An easy way to eat more vegetables is to buy a bag of mixed frozen vegetables, toss them in olive oil and seasoning, and roast them in the oven. You can also add vegetables to soups, curries, smoothies, sandwiches, pizzas, and omelettes.
Health authorities recommend that adults consume several servings of vegetables each day. The American Heart Association suggests filling half your plate with fruits and veggies, which amounts to 2 1/2 cups of vegetables per day.
To make vegetables taste better, avoid overcrowding your pan and flip them halfway through to get caramelisation on both sides. You can also roast them with different spices or toss them in olive oil and garlic salt.
