Eat your veggies

You know that eating healthy includes eating fresh veggies. But sometimes just because you know you should do something, doesn’t make it easy to do.  I personally think everyone should be eating a stupid amount of veggies, but you definitely want to get at least 5 half cup servings of veggies a day

Why eat your veggies? For many many many reasons, but here are a few compelling reasons for loading up your plate and snack drawer with things that grow in the ground.

• Vegetables contain essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to operate. Plus they are a great source of fiber! Studies show that those who eat a diet rich in fresh produce have a lower incidence of disease such as cancer, cardiovascular issues and stroke.
• Eating fresh veggies can help you control your weight. Vegetables are naturally low in calories and most are virtually fat free. So eat them first thing at a meal to eat less calories overall.
• Eating veggies will make you feel good. When you eat whole foods (unprocessed food), your body responds well, your skin glows and your systems work like they should.

5 servings of vegetables might seem like a hard pill to swallow or get into your schedule. But it’s actually very easy if you make sure to have a serving at every meal and snack. Here are a few simple ways to get your daily quota without blinking an eye.

• Breakfast:
• Throw some peppers, zucchini and broccoli in your morning omelet
• Make a tasty smoothie with a bunch of baby spinach and kale, your favorite fruit and unsweetened almond milk (you won’t even be able to taste the greens…I promise)
• Lunch:
• Top your sandwich with actual veggies (forget the sad piece of lettuce and tiny sliced tomatoes…they don’t count). Add cucumbers, peppers, spinach, mushrooms, etc.
• Hit the salad bar and load up with all colors of pre-cut vegetables including dark leafy greens, tomatoes, carrots, turnips, peas, cabbage, you get the picture…lots of veggies.
• Dinner:
• Load your spaghetti sauce (or any sauce for that matter) with tons of veggies. My favorites are broccoli, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms.
• Make stir fry with lean meat and lots of veggies such as cabbage, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, mushrooms and celery.
• Steam your favorite veggie and have it on the side…have lots on the side…so much so that it looks like it’s the main course
• Eat a side salad before dinner to eat less
• Make an old school vegetable soup with lots of chunky veggies and for some “oomph” add some potatoes.
• Snacks:
• When you go to the salad bar for a salad, get lots of pre-cut veggies for to much on when you get hungry
• Make sure to have cut up carrots, broccoli, peppers, celery, jicama, etc for crunching and dipping in low fat protein packed dips like hummus.
• Steam a bag of veggies (frozen veggies are just like fresh…as long as they aren’t in sauce)
• Get a pre-cut veggie tray and eat off of it (often)

 So what counts as half a cup? Besides the obvious measuring techniques, keep these easy to remember tips close at hand:

·         5 broccoli florets

·         6 baby carrots

·         1 large handful of raw greens (spinach, lettuce, cabbage)

·         1 large stalk of celery

·         ½ large ear of corn

·         6 bell pepper strips

Get your portions under control...

In a culture where more is great and super-sized is even better, most of us see a healthy portion of chicken (3 oz) and a small plate of pasta as a snack. But our heaping plates and tall orders are causing us to become WAY bigger people as well. It’s time to retrain our brains and stomachs to eat appropriate and healthy amounts of food.

 I find the following comparisons helpful (if some of the objects seem a little out of date or you don’t know what they are (i.e. check book, CD), look them up

J

• ½ cup pasta or rice= a small fist or light bulb
• 3 oz cooked meat= a deck of cards or two iPhones stacked
• 1 muffin= large egg
• 1 bagel=a can of tuna
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter= a golf ball
• 1 pancake=a CD
• 1 oz cheese=2 dice
• 1 apple=a baseball
• 1 cup cooked veggies=a baseball
• 1 baked potato=a computer mouse
• 1 tablespoon butter, margarine, mayonnaise=a poker chip
• 1 brownie=dental floss dispenser
• 1 cookie=2 poker chips
• 1 piece of cake=deck of cards
• 1/2 cup ice cream=light bulb
• 1 cup french fries= a baseball
• 1 slice pizza=2 dollar bills
• lasagna=baseball
• sub sandwich=a checkbook

You might be surprised at the actual portions that we all should be eating. It’s definitely a change in thinking and eating. But eating in this way will not only help you become or maintain a healthy weight, but can help improve your grocery budget not to mention your eating out spending. When a restaurant serves you a bowl of pasta with 3-5 servings of pasta (and they will), eat your portion and save the rest for later!

People, we just need to change our way of thinking...more is not always better and super sized is just plain worse. If you don’t feel comfy eyeballing your serving sizes, check out these printable portion reminders by clicking here. Armed with these tools there's no reason for us to overeat!

Extra Tips!

•  Eat from a desert plate instead of dinner plate. Filling a smaller plate will trick your brain into thinking that you’re eating more, not less.
• Buy sectioned plates with two small sections and one large section. Fill the large section with veggies and the two smaller sections with protein (meat) and starches (rice, pasta, potatoes)
• Do not eat straight from the bag. Portion out a serving size,  put it on a plate or whatever and close the bag up and put that thing away!
• Split a meal-half the size equals half the calories

• Get a kid’s meal (some kid’s meals are still super-sized, so watch it)

Enjoy your healthy portions!