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| Image from Pinterest |
I really believe if people could up their intake of veggies, the world would be a much healthier place. Eating an array of colourful vegetables fills our bodies with the nutrients needed to fight and prevent disease. They are high in fibre which is awesome for detoxification, and are bursting with carotenoid antioxidants which; according to a study published in The Journal of Public Health make our skin glow in a way that is perceived as more beautiful when compared to a sun tan (for all my whitey friends).
The benefits of veggies are endless.Everyone knows it, but most people in this day and age don't get enough of them. Maybe because they think vegetables are gross or boring, but it couldn't be further from the truth! All it takes is a little determination and creativity to transform your health with veg.
I've personally experienced tremendous benefits from filling my diet with loads of vegetables. I'm completely addicted! Some may say a little obsessed. But I feel on top of the world when I'm cramming them in, and feel less than favourable when I miss out on them.
I remember hearing nutritionist and superfood expert David Wolfe wisely declare that the answer to vibrant health isn't about cutting out foods that are bad for you. Rather, it's all about adding in the good stuff. That way you crowd out the unhealthy ingredients you would normally consume.
It's not rocket science. If you're loading up on veggies with every meal, and taking every opportunity to get them in, there will be less room for yucky, additive ridden foods that are harmful to your health.
Here's 6 simple ways that I crowd out bad foods with an abundance of veggies.
1.Eat veggies for breakky
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| Image from My New Roots |
Breakfast is most likely the meal people don't include veggies in because we are so accustomed to having sweet stuff like breakfast cereals and muesli. But you don't always have to have porridge, fruit and yogurt or other sweet breakfasts to satisfy you in the morning. Mix it up by having some savoury starts to the day; by doing this you have plenty of room for cramming in the veggies.
Here's some ideas:
Have avocado, spinach & tomato on toast
Eat eggs with a side of roasted tomatoes, fresh herbs, mushrooms and wilted spinach or kale.
I love making this Veggie & Egg Tower of Power
Have any leftover roast veg? Bubble and squeak them in a frying pan with some butter. Have on toast, on its own, or with some poached eggs.
2. Keep a 'chop salad' in the fridge.
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| Image from My New Roots |
I try to eat salad with every lunch and dinner. This way I know I'm getting a good dose of raw goodness into my day. But preparing salads can be time consuming and quite frankly annoying. One way to combat this barrier is to make a giant chop salad every couple of days and keep it in a big bowl in the fridge; free from any dressing that could make it soggy. This way you always have some salad to add to your meals, to take with your lunch to work, or to have as a nutrient rich snack.
A chop salad is simply a giant salad packed with shredded and grated seasonal veggies and herbs. I often do this in my food processor with the grating and fine slicing attachments to make it extra speedy.
At the moment my typical chop salad will include:
- red & green cabbage
-parsley
-coriander
-mint
-grated carrot
-grated zucchini
-kale
-spinach
-radishes
My aim is to get a wide variety, with different colours for different nutrients. For a quick meal you can add some beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, brown rice or shredded meat.
3. Utilise the humble grater
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| Image from Pinterest |
Cooking spag bol? Grate in a heap of carrot. You can't even taste it.
Making burgers or rissoles? Grate in some zucchini.
Whipping up an omelette? Grated sweet potato goes awesome with eggs!
A simple way to sneak extra veg in. Grate it in. Great idea! (I'm so punny)
4. Dip em and dress em
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| Image from jamieoliver.com |
Dips and delicious homemade dressings are a sneaky way to make boring raw veggies taste awesome. You can even make dips out of veggies, then dip raw veggie sticks into it for a double hit of vegetably goodness! Two of my favourite dip recipes at the moment include:
Simple mint pea dip from My New Roots
As for dressings, I love:
Tahini cream dressing with orange from My New Roots (goes awesome on the chop salad)
5. Juice baby, juice!
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| Image from Pinterest |
Raw vegetable juices are one of the best ways to get an instant energy hit, and pack in a hefty amount of veg into your day minus the fibre. It's a smart and quick way to down a big bowl full of vegetables without having to do any chewing.
My favourite combinations at the moment include:
Beetroot, carrot, celery, ginger, & lemon
or
swiss chard, celery, cucumber, kale, ginger, lemon and green apple.
6. Jump on the green smoothie bandwagon
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| Image from Pinterest |
Everyone needs to eat more veggies, but green veggies in particular are super important due to the presence of chlorophyll; which oxygenates and alkalises the blood, increases circulation, boosts energy and aids in detoxification. Greens are also a great source of plant based iron, as well as folate, vitamin K and specific phytonutrients like corotenoids and flavonoids that offer protection against various chronic diseases including cancer.
Green smoothies may look a bit scary, but with a little smart flavour combining you can make something really yummy whilst also packing in those nutrients and fibre. You can even make a meal out of it; great if your in a hurry. I pretty much have one green smoothie, and one raw veggie juice every day. I fill up my giant stainless steel water bottle with green smoothie before I go to church on Sunday nights (It's on during my normal dinner hours) and sip it throughout the evening.
Here's my standard recipe (makes heaps! about a litre)
- 1 stalk celery chopped
-1 small cucumber chopped
-a handful kale, stalks removed
-a big handful spinach
-a big handful chopped cos lettuce leaves
- 2 TBSP chia seeds soaked in 1/2 cup water for a few mins
-2 TBSP flaxseeds
-small knob of ginger
-juice of half a lemon
-1 pear chopped
-1 green apple chopped
-half a large avocado
-filtered water & ice
pack all ingredients into the blender and fill to the half way mark with filtered water. Blend until liquefied (it takes about a minute and a half in my blender but much faster in a Vitamix). Add in half a tray of ice and blend for 10 seconds. Enjoy!
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