How to get more veggies in

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3/15/13 12:38 P

i have ways of "tricking" myself into eating more veg and less starchy food when i'm having a starch craving - by having a small portion of a grain or starch (1/2 cup of brown rice or potatoes) and then cooking it with lots of veggies.

my favorite example is when i make a breakfast hash. i use frozen hash browns, fresh potatoes, or fresh sweet potatoes, fry them in the pan and then throw in any combination of onions, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, or whatever you want/have. season with salt, pepper, and garlic. obviously goes great with eggs.

i think one of the biggest mistakes people make when they're struggling to eat more veggies is that they think they have to be raw or steamed to be healthy. they look kind of sad sitting on the side of the plate, steamed and all alone. be creative. season lovingly and cook with healthy fats.

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Posts: 844
3/14/13 2:54 P

I have the same problem sometimes. Once in awhile I get queasy just thinking about eating lettuce or green beans. I don't know why either! There are other times I don't have a problem. When those days hit I go the smoothie route! I also like making a Greek yogurt dip to go with raw veggies (mostly in the Spring and summer though) I think I may be a seasonal vegetable eater if there is such a thing. Winter I crave the starchier ones and that seems to be the time of year I have this problem the most.
Hope you find a solution you can live with!

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3/14/13 2:32 P

I use a few ways to get veggies in my diet. One is to plan meals around vegetables as the main course, rather than meat. When I think of what to have for dinner, I think of what vegetables I have, or need, and then think about what proteins and grains to go with them.

I come and go on salad. Occasionally I crave one, mostly I get burnt out on it very quickly, though. Instead of salads I go for fresh chopped veggies, which gives a greater range of flavor and I don't even need dressing!

Sometimes I'll make myself a veggie tray and munch on that while I cook. Then I fill up on veggies as I go and then eat a small portion of whatever I'm cooking.

As mentioned, I also love green smoothies, but I add fruit in for flavor. The last several days I've been making them for breakfast, using greens (spinach, kale, arugula and/or radish greens), parsley and cucumber or celery, then adding in fruit like mango, lime, grapefruit, banana and/or berries. It gives me a great boost in the morning, I drink it on my way to work.

For cooked, there's stir fry, steamed, sauteed, roasted, and soups you can pack with vegetables. The other night I steamed onion, kale, spinach, and mushrooms, sprinkled with pepper, thyme and some lime juice.

If you're craving carbs, try pairing it with a veggie, such as a small portion of whole grain chips or crackers with avocado and/or salsa, or put steamed or stir fry veggies over a serving of brown rice.

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3/14/13 2:00 P

I recently started drinking green drinks. It sounds gross, but if you can get past the color (put it in a cup that isn't see-through) they really can be yummy!
1 drink will fill me up til lunch. Here is the basic recipe that you can alter to your liking. This makes 2 servings. It's a whole blender full, then I split it into 2 glasses and save one for the next morning. You really don't taste the spinach :)

2 cups raw spinach (or any leafy green)
1.5 to 2 cups liquid (water, milk, 100% juice)
2 bananas (or 1 banana and 1/2 cup berries)
1/4 c flax seed (or raw sunflower seeds
1 cup oats
1/4 cup honey (or dates)

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Posts: 24,609
3/14/13 1:46 P

grilled
roasted
sauted
stir-fry
add flavor with herb blends, soy sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, etc.

Tonight I'm having sauted asparagus with a sprindle of brown sugar. YUMMY

Posts: 611
3/14/13 1:34 P

Check sparkrecipes and see if you can find some good recipes you enjoy.

Roasted veggies are good, or sauteed spinach/kale/broccoli, etc. You could make a 50/50 split of mashed cauliflower and potatoes. How about soup? Or maybe you just need to mix it up. If you have the exact same spinach salad every day, it can get boring after a while. What about a cucumber/tomato/onion mediterranean style salad with vinegar and olive oil to dress it (I'll add some chickpeas to mine).

Best of luck!

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3/14/13 1:29 P

How to get veggies in my diet....lately salads are not going down easily, I am hungry but I can't seem to stomach a entire bowel of salad. Any ideas on how I can make veggies more appealing at dinner time. I usually have veggies at Lunch and crave them during the early part of the day but by dinner time I have a hard time eating enough of them. Lately my body has been craving crackers or some other kind of carb like sweet potato's ...t

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