Its summer time and farmers markets are popping up everywhere in Winnipeg – the best places to find fruits and veggies locally. Vegetables and fruits are plant powerhouses full of health-promoting properties and rich in nutrients. But what if you’re not a fan and you want to slowly start incorporating them? Here are some simple ways to incorporate more vegetables into your diet.
#1. Choose convenience
Most people have good intentions of buying fruits and vegetables in hopes of eating them, but if you’re like most busy people, you don’t want to spend lots of time in the kitchen chopping or dicing vegetables and then you end up not eating anything before it goes bad. Instead, select pre-chopped vegetables at the market or switch to zoodles (zucchini noodles) which are a nutritious alternative to pasta. If you can, try setting aside one a day a week shortly after you buy your groceries to properly wash (with vinegar) all your fruit and vegetables and then chop and store them but, make sure they are dry before refrigerating them. Trust me, it makes a world of a difference and if you can see it you can easily grab it and go.
#2. Try different things that you normally wouldn’t try because of the season
It’s easier to get more strawberries, raspberries, mangoes, blueberries, watermelon etc in the summer than in the winter. Not to mention there’s more variety in the summer months for more tropical fruit like kiwi, dragon fruit, peach, plums, papaya, and coconut to name a few. Make it a challenge to try a new fruit each week or so and see if you like it. Sometimes we just need to find the right fruit or vegetable for us to start adding more healthy options into our diet.
#3. Rebrand how you eat your vegetables
A plate of romaine lettuce seems boring right? But did you know if you add just a couple things like cherry tomatoes, cranberries, nuts, croutons, sesame seeds, salad dressing (the list can go on forever) you can really change the overall taste and visual representation to make it more appetizing? There are plenty of different recipes out there you can try. And if you are a visual person – try cutting your veggies and fruits into cute shapes to make it look more fun to eat. It might seem a little time consuming at the first but if it helps you consume more of it – it’s worth it.
#4. Snack smarter
This one ties back to the first tip about convenience. If you are a busy household like mine, it’s much easier to snack veggies and fruit if it’s been washed and chopped and ready to go then, to have to take it out, wash and cut right that moment. We keep our fruits and veggies in clear containers so we can see what we have and how much of it. It helps us grab it for snacks at work. Much healthier option to eat berries for a snack than, a bag of potato chips.
#5. Don’t forget about soups and smoothies
Don’t have time to eat berries and spinach in a day? Try making a quick smoothie – there’s plenty of recipes out there and don’t forget you can add extra things like chia seeds which are a great source of omega 3.
I love talking about healthy foods with my patients and always encourage people to slowly start adding at least one fruit or vegetable into their diet. I don’t recommend changing everything all at once because you aren’t setting yourself up for success that way. Gradual changes help new habits stick.
Don’t forget you can always schedule a consult with me for a quick 10 min chat to see if Chiropractic is right for you – book online here.
