You know Mom was right when she told you to eat your veggies. She knew they were great sources of fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. So what are you waiting for?
Tips:
- The Food Guide Pyramid recommends three to five servings of vegetables a day.
- A "serving" of vegetables is 1/2 cup of cooked vegetables (such as carrots or broccoli) or 1 cup of raw salad vegetables (lettuce or spinach, for example).
- Buy prewashed salad greens to reduce salad preparation time.
- Shop the supermarket salad bar for precut broccoli, cauliflower and other vegetables. Eat these raw or steamed.
Steps:
- Mix carrot juice into your breakfast orange juice.
- Add chopped broccoli or grated zucchini to your omelet.
- Toss sliced cucumbers with seasoned rice vinegar for an instant salad.
- Dip crunchy raw vegetables (cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, celery or carrots) into low-fat salad dressing or hummus.
- Toss corn kernels (fresh or frozen) into a green salad.
- Experiment with unusual vegetables such as long beans or kohlrabi.
- Spread tomato and onion salsa over grilled fish.
- Roast peeled, diced beets and carrots at 425 degrees ºF for 30 minutes. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper and olive oil.
- Mix chopped spinach, kale or other greens into spaghetti sauce.
Warnings:
While a glass of vegetable juice can count toward your three to five servings a day, try to choose the whole vegetable instead. Most juices contain no fiber.
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