Planning healthy, daily meal plans is naturally a top priority for any family. No food can enable us to effortlessly arrive at that objective like vegetables. Vegetables are rich in many vitamins and nutrients that promote healthy growth, and preferring them over other food will ensure that you keep diet-related chronic illnesses in check. Besides, they work amazingly great for anyone who may be pursuing weight loss missions since they are great at boosting fat burning mechanisms in the body.
Vegetables are also incredibly tasty — depending on how you like to eat and the many ways you can cook them. Subscribing to any of the methods to eat your veggies will ensure that you are not left behind when it comes to harnessing the health benefits that accompanies routine consumption of vegetables. Here are some easy-to-follow methods you can use.
1. Shredded Vegetables
Finely chopped vegetables can work amazingly well with many already prepared foods such as pasta sauce, vegan meatloaf, soup, lasagna and so on. You can enjoy an incredibly delicious meal as long as you are keen on the vegetables you wish to add.
For a slight boost in flavor, you can saunter the finely chopped or shredded vegetables in a little coconut oil or vegan butter. Vegetables such as red pepper, onions, zucchini and carrots may work exceptionally well with many food options. You can also consider adding them to veggie burgers, sandwiches or quiche.
2. Salads
You should consider having more salads in your daily meal plans if you wish to cultivate a robust vegetable-eating routine. Salads are also popular for their excellent food calories value. Preparing a healthy salad consisting of a cup of leafy lettuce, carrots, tomato, cucumber and some low-calorie dressing will absolutely increase your cravings for more vegetables. You can also spice up the taste by considering some onions, peas, celery or pepper, and reap from the immense nutritional value that these vegetables offer.
3. Consider root vegetables
Root vegetables are regarded as an ideal addition to soups. They are tasty and can add a lot more flavor as long as they are heartily prepared. Though carrots are common options, you can consider other veggies options such as turnips, sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga and celeriac. If you are using them in soups, make sure that they are not overly small to the extent they can dissolve in soup mash.
4. Have a bowl of fresh fruit with your dinner
Though many people only think about foods like spinach, cauliflower and broccoli anytime vegetables are mentioned, it pays a lot to consider having some oranges, apples, pineapples and bananas as part of your vegetable-driven diet plan.
Fruits can give the same health benefits as vegetables. Fruits are also an incredibly wonderful alternative for people who may be looking forward to replacing artificial sugar flavors with natural food sources.
5. Add some vegetables in your smoothie
A smoothie can act as a perfect meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Another benefit of smoothies is that it’s another yummy way to add some veggies in your diet! You can add your favorite fruit, almond milk and some handfuls of greens. You will certainly experience a fantastic nutritional boost. If you don’t like the flavor offered by greens such as spinach and romaine, you can explore diverse your options and consider great foods such as banana or peanut butter. And if you do not have a blender, here is a way to make a smoothie without one.
6. Make your pizza healthier
Though many of us prefer vegan cheese pizza with an overload of vegan pepperoni, it is still possible to substitute the pepperoni with veggies. The options are endless — asparagus, beets, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, zucchini and even artichokes. You can make the pizza healthier by applying whole crust. Adding veggies onto your pizza will ensure that you consume more vegetables and reap the health benefits that vegetables bring.
7. Redefining how you take snacks
Snacks have a bad reputation from nutrition experts, and that is because they are linked to many nutritional mishaps. Stop associating your snacks with junk food such as potato chips and french fries! Use snack time to sneak in more veggies such as salads, vegetable sticks or some freshly and finely chopped spinach or broccoli. You can even completely discard the whole idea of having snacks and opt for something worthy like a well-prepared vegetable soup.
Vegetables are easy to find and do not involve an unreasonably amount of time to prepare. Besides, you can build a vegetable garden in your home and use the harvest to spice up your diets. Vegetables such as onions are easy to cultivate and caring for them is something that won’t take a toll on your day to day routines.
The many vegetable options you can choose from means that you can surely find veggies that satisfy your personal food cravings. You also will never have to worry about boring taste in your daily meal plans since vegetables give different and amazing flavors depending on how they are prepared.
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Author bio: Leslie J. Shearer is the founder and owner of the blog colorgardening.com. Gardening is her passion and she has a deep relationship with nature. Growing plants and digging deep to germinate flowers and vegetables brings positivity in her life.
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