I need help!

koneil83

While I have kept under my calorie intake each day I still feel that I am not eating as healthy as I can be. Here's the deal though... I am a super picky eater! I don't like a lot of meat (that's you will see a lot of lean cuisine pizza in my diet). I bought 100 calorie pack snacks but feel I should be including more fruits and vegetables. Can someone please give me some pointers?

MissCheese

You're right you are well under calories some days and there is a real lack of fresh fruit and veg in your diet.

Fruit is easy, just snack on an apple a day and try buying some different fruits that you've never tried before. Maybe one new one a week to start. I enjoy Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries (about 80g of each) with some low fat Bio live plain yoghurt at lunchtimes. Quite a few calories, no cooking, low fat and a reasonable amount of fibre.

If you don't like to cook much then veg will be a little harder. Easy peasy dishes would be some mixed roasted veg for your dinner, such as bell peppers, squash, sweet potato, courgette, onions etc with a little olive oil & garlic.

Good luck!

annejuju

Salads! Try different dressings and add on and leafy green mixes until you find what works for you. And vegetable steamer bags are great as well and easy to add to any meal.

Since you're a little under your cal goal you can try raw fruits and veggies with peanut butter. I love it! Always pre-measure your peanut butter though I also make a "dessert banana" when I'm craving something sweet. Measure out a little peanut butter and a little chocolate then melt in microwave and mix together. Then you can drizzle the mixture over the banana.

Finally, make your own pizza! You can put whatever you want on it. BF and I bought a whole wheat crust and put on turkey pepperoni, spinach, artichoke and tomatoes (along with sauce and cheese). Sooo, soo good. We also use baked chicken as a topping sometimes as well.

Gemmageldmacher

Sounds like you know what to do - just add more fruits and vegetables!

The first step is buying them. Make it a point to start in the outer aisle at your supermarket and fill up your cart there, or look up farmers markets in your area (you can literally just google "farmers market [your town]" and you should find a couple of things). You may even be able to find a CSA in your area that will deliver fresh fruits and veg right to your door. My husband and I do this and it is a GREAT way to just have this stuff on hand and force yourself to eat it before it goes bad.

The second step is incorporating them. Cut up strawberries or add blueberries to your cereal. Have a pear or an apple or an orange with your cereal in the morning. For lunch, leftovers are always the easiest - if you steam some broccoli or asparagus the night before, just steam way more than you could eat in one night and take the rest to work for a snack the next day. Instead of one of your packs of gummi bears for a snack, have an apple and some peanut butter, or celery and cottage cheese, or carrots with either peanut butter or cottage cheese. Adding lowfat cottage cheese is a great way to get some protein in. Try the Breakstones singles with fruit.

The third step is just doing it over and over again. Pretty soon it will just become a habit, but you have to start somewhere, and you have to find opportunities to buy and incorporate!!

Good luck!

craizydaizy

I bought an apple slicer and my family is eating more apples now. I like to eat the 100 cal yogurt and add some fresh blueberries (it really helps my sweets craving). Crunchy veggies like carrots and celery make me feel fuller faster. At my grocery store, they offer pre-cut and peeled veggies, which takes some time off of preparation. You can just reach in the fridge and grab it when the munchies hit.

treehopper1987

Definitely try new things. My husband is a picky eater and I recently surprised him with a simple spinach salad in his lunch and he loves them. I have always told him to try things, even to just take one bite to determine if he really likes it or not. I never knew that I would like certain squashes, zucchini, or eggplant until I played around with some recipes that included them. More vegetables and fruit is definitely better for you than processed foods, and usually you can eat a lot more to feel fuller. Also, since you don't like a lot of meat, try to get in your protein through things like beans, hummus, peanut butter, or a handful of nuts (these tend to be high in calories so watch your portions).

WhitneyT586

Fruit is a great way to get in a snack. Apples, bananas, oranges are my favorites.

For veggies, if you have a microwave, put about 1/2 c. each fresh broccoli, baby carrots, and cauliflower in a plastic zipbag with 1 tsp butter and a sprinkle of lemon pepper (or whatever season you like). Put the bag in the microwave and cook about a minute and a half to two minutes, until veggies are fork tender but not squishy.

Hate to say it, but those Lean Cuisines are packed with so much sodium! Hope you drink a lot of water to offet it.