Eat Those Veggies

Eat Those Veggies

Chloe Schweinshaut RD, LDN

One of the biggest and best pieces of dietary advice that I can give for optimal health is to eat more vegetables. And with the warmer months upon us, there’s never a better or easier time to get those in.

Before we go into how to get more veggies into your diet, let’s take a step back to understand why they are so crucial for overall health.

1. Nutrient density: Vegetables are packed with numerous vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that are essential for good health. They also provide a great source of dietary fiber which is important for digestive health, blood sugar control and satiety (more on fiber in #4). Additionally, they are high in volume (which means they fill you up!) and low in calories, making them an excellent food choice for maintaining a healthy weight.

2. Disease prevention: Studies have shown that a diet rich in vegetables can help prevent chronic diseases. Among the biggest benefits seen are a decreased risk for cancer, lower blood pressure, improved cholesterol levels, better blood sugar control, help with weight management, better bone health and reduced risk of heart disease and stroke.

3. Immune system: Vegetables are high in antioxidants which can boost the body’s immune system by protecting it from damage caused by free radicals.

4. Digestive health: Vegetables are a source of both soluble and insoluble fiber both of which contribute to a healthy gut. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to the stool and promotes regular bowel movements while soluble fiber helps regulate blood sugar and lower cholesterol levels.

5. Hydration: Many vegetables have a high-water content which helps to keep the body hydrated. Being properly hydrated is crucial for maintaining healthy skin, hair, nails as well as regulating body temperature and supporting the proper function of organs.

For overall health, the recommendation is at least five servings of vegetables a day. Here are what counts as a serving:

• 1 cup of leafy greens

• ½ cup of fresh or frozen non-leafy vegetables

• ½ cup of 100% vegetable juice

Because it can be hard and time-consuming to measure out all of your food, I recommend aiming for 50% of your lunch and dinner plates to be made up of veggies to help you reach your daily goal.

Here are some other ways to incorporate more vegetables into your life:

1. Start your day with a vegetable-packed omelet

2. Add veggies into your smoothie. Things like baby spinach and frozen cauliflower go well in smoothies as they add a huge nutritional punch without adding any flavor.

3. For burgers and sandwiches, opt for a lettuce bun instead of bread.

4. Roast a big batch of veggies to have on hand throughout the week to throw in things like eggs, salads and soups.

5. Load up your pizza with vegetables like peppers, mushrooms and onions. For extra veggies, you could opt for a cauliflower crust.

6. Slice cucumbers, celery and carrots to keep in the fridge throughout the week and pair with things like hummus or nuts for a great snack.

7. Add veggies into meatloaf. Meatloaf is a fantastic meal to make when you want to incorporate more vegetables. In addition to the meat (or beans if you’re making it vegetarian), you can add things like onions, peppers, carrots, zucchini and spinach to make it a hearty nutritional powerhouse.

Whether you grow them yourself, get them from a local farmer’s market or a big chain supermarket or the freezer, adding more vegetables is one of the healthiest choices you can make for your body.