How can I get more fruit and veg in my diet?

CuddlyIrish

Hi all, just started out on my weight loss journey but already I need some advice. Most mornings I make smoothies which gets a few portions of fruit in but I never seem to get enough veg or fruit in the rest of the day. I know it's probably as easy as people saying "just eat more veg" but need some tips if possible. Cheers :-)

HIITMe

mid morning and/or mid afternoon snacks....I like raw veggies and instead of grazing on chips, cookies, etc... keep finnger veggies ( broccoli bites, baby carrots, etc) on hand.... apples dipped in peanut butter or Greek yogurt...

it takes a lil extra prep time ( packing lunches.snacks) but quickly becomes a good habit

Lupercalia

Veggies with everything--in scrambled eggs, in omelettes, on the side with poached or fried eggs. You can make a nice stir fry to get a bunch of veggies in at once. Big salads are another way I do it. Soups and stews are great. You can chop a bunch of veggies and roast them in the oven. Green smoothies are another way to get a bunch of veggies at once--add some sort of sweet fruit to make them nice and tasty. Bananas are good for that, I've found.

I usually eat fruit raw, just as a side or dessert. You could do a nice fruit salad. I like berries in yogurt. I used to have fruit with my porridge in the mornings. Smoothies....

pinkupooh

yes keeping raw veggies readily available that you could eat with PB, Laughing cow cheese, hummus is the way to go.

retiree2006

First...welcome and wishing you a healthier future. You've made the most important step already, having the determination to do this.

No magic answer, but I find that when I plan out my meals I now automatically figure out what veggies will work with that meal. It's a conscientious move that is all part of this and will eventually become more "normal". And I also make sure my snacks usually have fruit of some sort (apple and vanilla Greek yogurt is one of my favorites, used as a dip). So really this is "just eat more veg" (sorry) but you have to put them in your plan deliberately...plus they're great foods to help fill you up without heavy calories.

Wishing you days of good food, exercise and improved health as you journey on.

CherokeeBabe

Veggies in everything, yes, fruits for snacks whenever you can, mixed with yogurts, as dessert, anytime your sweet tooth hits. Also there's a pasta called "garden delight" at the supermarket (Rozini brand, I think) that has 1 or 2 servings of vegetables in every 2 Oz of pasta. They make it by essentially pureeing veggies and mixing it with the pasta ingredients before forming and drying. And it tastes AWESOME too. I found it recently and have been gobbling it up instead of regular pasta. Every little bit counts, right?

kelly_e_montana

Eat stir fry, grill veggies on a skewer, eat salad with protein as a main course, and add veggies to eggs or egg whites.

I also like to roast veggies in foil with olive oil, sea salt, garlic and pepper and serve as a side dish with whatever meat I'm cooking. Some good ones are mini sweet peppers cut up, yellow squash, onion, kale, and sugar snap peas.

Snack on sugar snap peas, carrots, radishes, broccoli, and cauliflower. The key is to cut them up after you go shopping so they're prepared.

Try kale chips for a snack. Add spinach to your morning smoothie!

I eat fruit by the truckload and have to stop myself from eating it, so I'm not sure how to suggest more of that. I just like a snack of some kind of fruit and a piece of string cheese every day, too. Also like to combine fruit with nuts. I don't eat regular meals though in that I eat 5-6 mini meals so it's easier to deal with fruit and veggies since all my meals are snack-y.

kurting81

Feel free to check out my diary. Yesterday I didn't input everything but go back to Wend. or so and you can see how I do it. I pretty much only eat fruit and veggies.

Joloco4444

Soup is perfect for getting more veg...it also help with increasing water intake too!!

kkaci5

Also know that as you start eating healthy, the veggies will actually taste better! This week I've been craving carrots -- never happened before in my life. I'm having a whole huge carrot every lunch. Curious, I changed my MFP to track vitamin A, and lo and behold I've been low on vitamin A and now that I'm listening to my body, I can actually hear it telling me what I need. Very cool.

Until then ... baby spinach -- add to everything. Pasta sauces, quiche, scrambled eggs, lasagna, salads, chili, etc. etc.

I would say don't try SO hard to add fruit -- it's high in sugar, but citrus and berries are the best form. Fruit in oatmeal, on cereal, in smoothies -- yum. I also LOVE cooking chicken with various fruit, and make a mean mango apple chutney -- fruit can go savoury as well :-).

BerryH

Open your diary and we might be able to suggest how to tweak your meals by just adding a few in.

Anyone looking at my diary might think I get very few, but my home cooking always has some selection of onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers, parsnips, carrots, swede, cabbage etc. in stews, chillies, curries or spaghetti bolognese, for example.

FWIW, smoothies aren't the best way to get your five a day in as you won't get as much fibre and they won't fill you up like eating them.

VanessaHeartsMasr

bump

Artemis00diana

Yeah add/sub it in everyhing!
Bean brownies, banana ice cream / smoothie, mix veggies in your grounded beef and so forth.

Add great taste, is cheaper and just plain healthy! YUM!

Fatandfifty3

Vegetable soups. They can be single veg such as Tomato or more. Adding cauliflower to soups makes it nice and creamy without adding lots of calories.
Here is my favourite Tomato Soup recipe. Use really red full flavoured tomatoes!

Tomato Soup <www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2075/tomato-soup
1 medium onion
1 small carrot Chop small
1 stick of celery
2 tbsp olive oil - Cook to soft
2 tsp tomato puree - Add
1 -1.25kg ripe tomatoes chopped small - Add
.5 tsp sugar
2 bay leaves Add. Cook 10 mil softened
1.2l hot veg stock - Add slowly whilst stirring. Bring to boil. Simmer 25 mins.

Remove bay leaves. Blend. Check seasoning.

Will freeze for upto 3 mths

healthyKYgirl

I make green smoothies in the morning and along with fruit add a handful of baby spinach. Because of the fruit, it's hard to taste. It does make the smoothie green though in color.

Add fruits and veggies to sauces even if you have to grate or mince it to make it blend more. Example, I made homemade potato soup and added grated carrots, onions, celery, and kale to the soup. If you make something with tomato sauce - add onions, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, shredded carrots, etc. All those can be disguised in the sauce.

I eat it as snacks, and I eat for simple dinners when I don't have time - fruit and veggies with almond butter or a bit of dressing to dip.

Have one day per week where you make dinner meatless and make yourself eat fruits and veggies as the center of the meal.

You can add chopped veggies to rice. You can stir-fry veggies with meat. If you make sandwiches, loaded it up with veggies along with meat and cheese - the same for wraps.

My friend was running out of things in his cabinet for dinner, so he made tilapia (fish) and found a can of pineapple and put it over the tilapia and added a bit Worcestershire sauce. It turned out delicious. So look for hidden ways to add it.

If you only have steak, add sauteed mushrooms to it. If you make a roast, add potatoes and carrots and spinach to it.

Try new recipes. Sometimes people don't like vegetables because of how they are prepared and not what they taste like. So try new recipes or new items to see if you like them.

rocket_ace

blend up veg/fruit in a shake - it'll be easier to get alot down that way (particularly if you don't like them). just hold your nose and chug away.

rocket_ace

also- have a big salad at lunch and base your dinner on a big bowl of steamed veggies (broccoli is the fan fav around these parts).

CuddlyIrish

Awesome ideas, thanks so much everyone xxx

Flyersteve18

I cook all my meals Monday night (Sunday for you or the day before you start your work week) and then put them in tupperware. Rice and Veggies in the container and my 2 pieces of chicken in zip lock bags. 3/4 container of veggies and 1/4 container of rice.

LorinaLynn

Bags of mixed frozen veg is a godsend for me. Cheap and easy... usually between a dollar to maybe $2.69 a pound depending on the variety. Cook them up with a little seasoning and butter or oil or marinade. A sprinkle of parmesan cheese goes a long way.

Or what I like to do is add them with rice or pasta. For instance, chicken Teriyaki with rice and Oriental blend vegetables, or ravioli and vodka sauce with Italian blend vegetables. It keeps me from eating quite as much of the starchy carb (I don't avoid them, but I limit them to normal serving sizes), but I still have a huge plate of food.

freerange

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fkjZSb0J_E