Adding Vegetables to Your Diet

One of the easiest ways to make your diet healthier is to focus on including vegetables in every meal. When discussing this with clients, I always try to keep this concept simple and just tell them to “count your colors.” The reason for this is because each color in fruits or vegetables is associated with different nutrients (aka fiber, vitamins, minerals, and more). When you’re in the practice of double checking your meals for color each day, then it is so much easier to ensure that you are providing your body with enough of the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and energized. Oftentimes people are consuming meals with limited nutrients, and colors, and they don’t even realize it because they don’t slow down long enough to think about it.

However, sometimes it doesn’t feel that simple to people. So often people don’t add color to their diets because they just aren’t sure how. So instead of adding in fruits and vegetables in fun and delicious ways, it starts to feel as though the only way to eat enough vegetables during the day is to add a side salad to everything. Although I love a good side salad, there are so many other delicious and creative ways to add color to your meals without feeling like you’re eating the same thing over and over.

To help get you brainstorming, here are our favorite ways to add color to our days.

Alter your ingredients.

When cooking, more often than not you can alter the ingredients in your main dish in small and easy ways to include more vegetables. Ask yourself, are there simple ingredients you could swap? Or fresh ingredients you could substitute for canned products? So often dishes lack vegetables simply because we don’t question the ingredient list. Adding or substituting vegetables in the cooking process doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t change the steps of the recipe at all, it just changes the nutrition.

This can be as simple as substituting fresh chopped tomatoes for canned when simmering a sauce, doubling the existing vegetables included, tossing in your favorite greens just before serving, or adding your favorite frozen veggies into the pot while your dish cooks. Just giving a little thought along the way can transform vegetables from feeling like an afterthought to being a part of the main event.

Rethink your toppings.

Another easy way is to add vegetables as a topping to your main dish instead of consuming them on the side (or leaving them out entirely). Not only does adding vegetables onto your main dish add in more nutrients, but it can also enhance the flavor more than you even realize. For example, when having Mexican food, why not add salsa and sautéed veggies to your tacos? Or when making your scrambled eggs, why not heat up leftover vegetables from the night before and mix them in before serving? Adding vegetables into your dishes alongside or in place of other condiments is the simplest way to enhance the flavor of your foods while also helping you feed yourself more nutritious meals.

Vary your grocery shopping.

Instead of grabbing the same produce items as you always do, make it a goal to challenge yourself each week and buy one fruit or vegetable you don’t normally buy. Purchasing a variety of produce items forces you to get outside of your comfort zone and get creative with the dishes you cook each week. You may even find it helpful to go to your local farmer’s market and pick out one unfamiliar vegetable each week. You can ask the farmers you buy it from how they recommend cooking that product or search the internet for a new recipe. Putting more energy into picking out the recipes for your vegetables allows you to grow your cooking abilities and consume a variety of nutrients as well. Even if you don’t love every new vegetable or recipe you try, there is so much value in stepping outside of your comfort zone and choosing to try new foods.

When in doubt, roast it out.

Although I love to make vegetables a part of my main dishes, sometimes dinner doesn’t look fancy or complex. For nights when I’m on a time crunch or am serving up simple protein and carbohydrates, my favorite way to add on a nutritious side is to chop up whatever vegetables I have, drizzle them with a little olive oil, salt, and garlic powder, then roast them in the oven at 425 degrees until they’re crispy and tender. Not only is this a time efficient way to prepare your vegetables, but it brings out the best taste and texture your vegetables have to offer. It’s a cooking hack I tell everyone about, because sometimes the best way to include vegetables in your diet is to return to the basics.

We love helping our clients brainstorm how to make healthy changes and decisions that fit their life. For more help creating a healthy and balanced diet, email us at natalie@nutrition502.com or go to Nutrition502.com to schedule a FREE discovery call today.

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