Vegetables are so good for us. They give us the nutrients and nutrition we need, they boost our immune system, they are packed full of fiber to keep our engine humming smoothly, they also help us fight inflammation which protects us from heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. Somehow, despite all this good and vital news about vegetables, we have a hard time getting enough of them in our diets.
There are ways to incorporate fresh vegetables in your diet that make a big difference in the attractiveness of your food, the flavor of any dish as well as how filling the dish can be. Vegetables can be your secret ally in adding health and heartiness to any meal. How you prepare them can make them more appealing.
Here are 10 Tips for enjoying easily prepared vegetables in your diet:
1. Thinly slice them.
2. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar on your vegetables for added flavor.
3. Enjoy them with homemade vinaigrette.
4. Finely dice your vegetables, this can make them more palatable than big chopped pieces.
5. Use herbs to add dimension.
6. Make a colorfully designed plate with them, our eyes love a colorful plate.
7. Choose multiple vegetables to eat, not just one—we can get bored with the same vegetables eaten over and over again.
8. Enjoy them with a delicious dip or dressing to add different favorite flavors.
9. Mix them in with your popcorn; it makes it colorful and crunchy.
10. Use them as a topping for other cooked vegetables or the meat entrée to make even more attractive dishes.
One final way my family has worked to put more vegetables on our plates at mealtime is to substitute a vegetable for a starch or carbohydrate. Instead of mashed potatoes have mashed cauliflower. Other of our favorites is roasted butternut squash in lieu of roasted potatoes or spaghetti squash as an alternative to pasta.
Enjoy the challenge of adding appealing vegetables to your diet. In the process come up with your own inventive ways to serve them up for pleasure.
Live Vibrant!
