Let’s talk vegetables! Vegetables are one of my absolute staples in every meal. I love most every vegetable and can’t think of one I don’t really like or won’t eat. Many of my clients would definitely disagree!  Where do you stand on that question? Are there veggies you will absolutely not eat? Are there some you will only eat if cooked versus raw or vis-versa? Everyone has different habits and tendencies around vegetable intake. Since they are such a huge contributor to our nutrient intake, I often just encourage my clients to get them in as often as you can. Whether, that’s intentionally aiming for a couple servings daily or weekly, choose something you know you can commit to. The more often the better, but there is no “wrong” way to consistently get them in! And if you only like two vegetables, then get a lot of those in!

Click here to listen to my response from a subscriber question – “Hey Nicole, do vegetables lose their nutrient content when you cook them? Isn’t cooking them the worst thing”

Many of my clients think that they are not taking in enough vegetables. And at times, I think they put a lot of pressure on themselves, when in reality, they are doing a great job! When you really think about your intake in the course of a day, where do you get veggies in? What kinds do you have tendencies to choose? Remember that a real technical serving of veggies is ½ cup cooked and a cup raw. When you really break that down, that can end up being 3-5 pieces of broccoli, maybe 4 tbsp of green beans or even handful of lettuce or leafy greens. When you order a salad as a main dish at a restaurant, I can just about guarantee you are getting in at least 6 servings of vegetables! They really do add up! Check out these simple ways to increase your veggie intake:

• Add some spinach, chopped onion, mushroom or any leftover veggies in your morning eggs.
• Adding even a slice of lettuce/tomato/pickle is a serving of veggies!
• How about a small can of V8 (low sodium in particular – loaded with an incredible amount of potassium)
• Even a couple of carrot sticks, 5 cucumber slices, even a couple of pepper rings – definitely a serving of veg.

Try not to get overwhelmed with achieving some huge volume. Focus on a couple of pieces here and there. Maybe even try a few sliced veggies that you haven’t liked in the past. Just like we expose our kids a few times to a taste in order for them to take it and get used to it, we do the same for us adults as well. Try it a couple of different times – raw or cooked and see if you can build up your veggie list!  

For more ideas, click here and check out this handy go to reference to get your creativity flowing!

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