How to Eat More Vegetables

 

Whether you’re trying to eat 5 a day or 10 a day, eating more fresh fruit and vegetables is an easy way to boost your health. 

Packed with important vitamins and minerals, vegetables are low in calories and high in nutrients. For anyone trying to improve their diet, eating more vegetables is a must. 

But if you, or other members of your family, don’t really like veggies, it can be tough to find ways to make them appealing. 

The good news is that you don’t need to serve a full plate of boring boiled Brussels sprouts in order to up your veggie intake. 

We’ve put together a list of 5 easy yet delicious ways to get more veg into your day to day diet. 

1. Add a veggie side dish

This is a really simple place to start. Whatever’s on the menu, try to serve it with a veggie side dish. 

This can be anything from a side salad like this Courgette Ribbon, Lemon and Feta Salad, to some extra green veg like Garlic Green Beans. 

Even if your main meal already includes a portion of veg, adding one of these sides is always a good idea. 

You’ll take in an extra serving of vegetables, and it’ll help fill you up so you’ll be less likely to snack later in the evening. 

2. Go vegetarian one day a week

If you feel like you sometimes get stuck in a food rut and end up eating the same few recipes on repeat, going vegetarian for one day a week is a great way to change things up! 

As well as forcing you to think a little outside of the box for the day, it can have the added benefit of getting way more vegetables into your diet!

Eating veggie doesn’t have to be boring – there are loads of amazing recipes that taste so good you’ll never miss the meat. 

These Vegetable Tarts are perfect for lunch, and you can throw in absolutely any veg that you want – so if you have fussy eaters you can choose the veggies you know they’ll like!

And then for dinner why not try this incredible Cauliflower Madras? It’s packed with vegetables, delicately spiced and just as flavourful without any meat. 

3. Try a hidden veg recipe

If anyone in your family turns their nose up at the mere mention of vegetables, you might need to get a little sneaky in order to weave them into their food. 

When you throw some extra veg into things like bolognese or chilli con carne, the flavourful sauce helps to hide the vegetables! 

Our favourite way to trick those veggie dodgers into eating more vegetables is with our Sneaky Mac and Cheese! 

We’ve used cubes of courgette and lots of cauliflower and hidden them in the creamy cheese sauce. This tastes so indulgent, you’d never realise how full of goodness it is! 

And if your family isn’t too fussy you can always add even more veg in there – how about peas and a good handful of spinach? 

Find out more ways to sneak vegetables past fussy eaters in this article here! 

4. Eat more soups and stews

If you really want to ramp up your veg intake, soups and stews will be your new favourite recipes. 

These dishes are always packed full of different vegetables – you just chop them up and throw them in. Stews and casseroles can be left to bubble away in the slow cooker all day  – so they’re not just super healthy, they’re convenient too. 

We love our Instant Pot Beef Stew. With carrot, celery, leek, swede and courgette, you’ll be well on your way to your 5 a day. 

If there’s something about the texture or sight of veg that puts off the fussy eaters in your family, blending it up into a soup is the perfect solution. 

Try this super green Cream of Spinach and Rocket Soup. Spinach is rich in vitamin C and iron, making this dish a healthy and delicious lunch that even the fussiest of eaters will gobble up. 

5. Get creative with carbs

When you really commit to finding ways to get more vegetables into your diet, you’ll find all kinds of new and creative ways to sneak them in! 

We love to switch out carbs like bread and pasta for veg based alternatives. This reduces the calories without impacting flavour, with the added bonus of extra nutrients!

You could try these Squash Pizza Slices which replace a traditional pizza base with a slice of delicious butternut squash. 

Or for packed lunches how about Low Carb Chicken and Ham Wraps? These use fresh, crisp lettuce leaves instead of a tortilla wrap. You can fill these with anything you like – including even more veggie goodness!

You can even give your favourite Fakeaways a low carb, high veg makeover! The whole family will want to dig into this Cauliflower and Chicken Fried Rice. 

By making ‘rice’ from cauliflower not only are you getting extra veg, you’re also cutting calories. This dish tastes as good as the traditional version but it’s just 255 calories per serving!

5 steps closer to 5 a day

When you’re calorie counting or following a diet like Weight Watchers, eating more vegetables will help you stay on plan. 

For busy families, it can be tricky to keep on top of everyone’s veg intake but these 5 tricks will help you cram as much as possible into every meal. 

Which recipe will you be trying first?

Let us know how you make sure you get your 5 a day! Tell us over in our Facebook Group. We love to see snaps of your creations, and there are nearly 1m members waiting to inspire, support and motivate you on your slimming journey.