Eat More Vegetables!
By Sara Butler
Have you followed your mom's advice and eaten your vegetables? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, probably not! About 90 percent of Americans aren't getting their daily dose of vegetables. If you fall into the 95 percent who could fit more vegetables into their lives, there are some easy ways to do it. Here are a few to help you get started!
A Few Facts First
Some people have a couple of excuses as to why they don't eat more vegetables. First, some think that vegetables are expensive. While it may be true that some fresh vegetables are expensive, you don't have to stick with fresh vegetables to get what you need. In fact, frozen and canned vegetables are a great source of inexpensive veggies as long as you keep an eye on salt content.
Second, many people think vegetables are difficult to prepare. You don't have to be Gordon Ramsey to prep great vegetables for your meals, you simply need to know where to get them to cut down on time during prep and cooking. Again, frozen vegetables are a great vegetable go-to and the more vegetables you can throw in dishes you're making already, the easier it is to get what you need nutritionally.
Add Them to Breakfast
There are some very easy ways to add vegetables to your meals, especially when it comes to breakfast. You can easily throw some spinach in with your morning egg scramble or put some avocado on your morning toast. You can even add vegetables to your morning oats by folding in some butternut squash or pumpkin puree. The possibilities are endless, so don't be afraid to experiment!
Make Vegetables Meaty
There are some vegetables that make great swaps for meat in your favorite dishes, such as mushrooms and eggplant. If you want to stick with meat in the foods you eat, then try replacing half your meat in a recipe with a vegetable. It's not as difficult as you may think and it tastes good too!
Replace the Rice
When you make dishes that require rice, considering replacing half of the rice with a riced vegetable, such as cauliflower. This can help you to bump up the vegetable profile of what you're cooking while keeping the texture.
Vegetables are easier than you may think to get more of. Try a few of these suggestions and see how many more veggies you can incorporate!
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