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Healthy Meals, 12 Sneaky Ways
to Eat More Vegetables
Eat more vegetables when you want to lose weight. You've
heard it before and you know the benefits:
- Hard to overeat. You can eat potato chips all day and night, but you
quickly feel stuffed on carrot and celery sticks.
- Feel fuller faster.
- Decrease meat content by adding more vegetables.
But eating more vegetables is often easier said than
done. Try these painless ways to sneak more vegetables into your diet:
- Precut vegetables into serving size portions and place in the refrigerator
for easy access. Make your vegetables as convenient to eat as any other
snack food and you will eat more of them.
- Serve your vegetables on a beautiful plate or bowl. Break out the
china or treat yourself to a funky new serving platter.
- Serve vegetables in fancy shapes. Use cookie cutters or learn how
to make roses, palm trees, birds, and other creations with vegetables.
You have fun decorating cakes and cookies, why not vegetables? There
are simple courses on the market teaching vegetable garnishing. Check
the internet for instructions, too.
- Create a salad bar with healthy dips and those vegetable decorations
you learned to make. Dips include low fat salad dressing, peanut butter,
cottage cheese, and salsa.
- Slice vegetables thin and layer them in sandwiches.
- Got a shredder? Choose a variety of vegetables you don't normally
eat: asparagus, parsnips, beets, whatever strikes your fancy. Shred
them together and top with your favorite dressing.
- When serving hamburgers, sloppy joes, pizza or any other kid pleasing
fare, toss in some shredded carrots or broccoli. Just a small amount
will blend right into a red sauce and boost the nutritional value of
any dish. While you've got the shredder out, shred more vegetables and
package them in ziplock bags or air tight containers for the next meal.
- In beef stew, cut the meat in half and double the vegetables. Try
adding another vegetable along with the traditional carrots and potatoes.
You'll still have the meaty taste, but with lower fat and calorie content.
- Traditional nori seaweed wraps form the outer casing of sushi. You
can buy nori made from vegetables or fruits and use it in place of tortillas
or sandwich bread. Asian grocers or health food stores carry this product,
or you can order on line.
- Hide vegetables in chocolate cake. Add tomato juice or pureed spinach
to the batter. You won't be able to taste the veggies after the cake
is baked.
- Learn to cook spaghetti squash. A 4 ounce serving has less than 40
calories. Spaghetti squash can be boiled, baked, slow cooked, or microwaved.
Once tender, pull a fork through squash to tear out spaghetti like shreds.
Ladle on tomato sauce perked up with shredded carrots, mushrooms, and
sliced broccoli. Nutritious and delicious.
- Try grilled kabobs. Cut bite size pieces of vegetables and grill them
on skewers or alternate with chunks of meat. Add a tasty marinade.
About the Author:
Kathy Ferneau has created an excellent resource for information on diets,
healthy eating, and exercise. Get a free smoothie recipe e-book just for
visiting! www.lose-weight-diets.com
More about healthy meals: Improve
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a Multivitamin, High
Fiber Foods , Live Healthy
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