10 painless ways to put more veggies into your diet

Whatever diet you happen to subscribe to, they pretty much all say that non-starchy vegetables are healthy and we should all eat more of them.  (Especially leafy greens.)  Focusing on veggies can be a way to eat less and lose weight.  If you eat all of the veggies you're supposed to, there is not room for much else!  Here are some tips I have found helpful in increasing my consumption of these things:

1.  Green drinks for breakfast (or afternoon or late night snack) -  I know it sounds disgusting and they can look like swamp water, but green drinks are delicious!  I have one of these everyday for breakfast.  Sometimes, I get my "5-a day" in before my day starts!  You can blend up green veggies with fruit and you only taste the fruit.  I start with 1/2 of a banana in my blender (I use a Vitamix), then I fill it up with spinach, kale, chard, or lettuce; and finally top it off with frozen berries, pineapple, mango; or whatever else strikes my fancy.  Be creative!  If you use frozen fruit and pre-washed greens, it's quick and easy to blend up on the go.  (Note:  If you drink these everyday like I do, you should rotate your greens to avoid getting an upset tummy.  Apparently, there are toxins in greens that can build up if you only eat the same kind every day.  Rotating prevents this.  If you want to know more, read Green for Life or check out the FAQ's on their website.)      

2.  The Big Salad - (I just love that Seinfeld episode, don't you?)  Yes, a big salad can be a great meal.  I like to have a variety of greens as a base then add drained, canned beans, whatever veggies I have around (even leftover cooked ones), and top with salsa and roasted edamame.  Yum!  According to Dr. Fuhrman in Eat to Live, "the salad IS the main course!"  You can use pre-made salad dressing, but I like to make my own.  This Green Goddess is my fav.

3.  Slaw - If you're not much of a salad person, then slaw may be a better idea.  You can use pre-cut broccoli slaw mix or coleslaw mix, add a handful each of raisins and walnuts, a dollop of veganaise (or mayo), a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and some curry powder to make a delicious slaw.  You can eat it as a side dish or use it in sandwiches or wraps.  My husband doesn't like salad but he loves slaw!   

4.  Steamed veg - Buy bags of frozen mixed vegetables and keep in your freezer.  Then, you can steam them whenever you want a quick side dish.  If you pack your lunch, all you have to do is put some in a tupperware with a sprinkle of oregano.  It'll keep the rest of your lunch cold as they slowly thaw.  Then, by lunchtime, you just have to microwave them for a minute and they're done!

5.  Roasted vegetables - Roast a bunch of veggies at once and keep in the fridge.  They are great on their own, in sandwiches, soups, or salads.  Some vegetables that work well are:  cauliflower, zucchini, butternut squash, eggplant, tomatoes, parsnips, and bell peppers.  Make an adventure of it and try some of those crazy vegetables you see but don't know what to do with like sunchokes, rutabagas, asian eggplant, celery root, etc.  What I do is chop up all the vegetables, add some canola oil, and whatever herbs and spices I feel like.  (garlic, curry, and/or rosemary work well.  You can even use taco seasoning.)  Roast in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.

6.  Vegetables as a main dish - We normally think of vegetables as a side dish, but there are some amazingly delicious main vegetable dishes.  Check out Indian food.  The Indians have figured out how to make vegetables delicious and interesting.  I had a cauliflower curry once that was out of this world!  Also, consider adding some vegetarian and vegan meals to your week.  There is some awesome vegan food out there!  I love the recipes on  www.choosingraw.com.  

7.  Sneak veggies into stuff - Add pureed and steamed carrots or squash to spaghetti sauce, pureed spinach to guacamole, and cauliflower to dips.  Pureed spinach also works well in brownies since the chocolate hides the color.  Just add 1/3 cup to your brownie recipe.  Don't have time to steam and puree?  Use babyfood if you're in a hurry!  Also, check out this recipe for spinach ice-cream.  I promise, you don't even taste the spinach. 

  

8.  Veggie trays - Surprisingly, kids love 'em!  Cut up raw vegetables and keep in a tupperware in the fridge.  (Even lettuce leaves can be good to roll up and dip.)  I like to have hummous on hand for dipping.  Alternatively, you can make bean dip with a can of beans, the juice of a lemon, and whatever spices and herbs you like.  (I like garlic, cilantro, and curry.)   If you set out a plate of chopped veggies and dip, they disappear surprisingly fast!

 9.  Green wraps! - I recently discovered that you can wrap up sandwich fillings in nori (the stuff they use to wrap up sushi) to make a delicious wrap.  The one I had contained roasted eggplant, tomatoes, spinach, banana peppers, bell pepper, tempeh, avocado, red onion, and lemon vinaigrette.  Yum!  Also, cabbage or bibb lettuce leaves can make great low-carb wraps while adding another vegetable to your diet.

10.  Soup for you! - You know how you buy all those veggies with the best of intentions, then you never use them and they're about to go bad?  Well, take them all and put them in a soup!  I like to put dried beans along with whatever vegetables I have and some veggie broth (or just use water and spices) in the slow cooker.   

Why I am Not a Vegetarian (or a Vegan)

Since I started to change my diet and eat healthily, I have had many people ask me, "why aren't you a vegetarian?"  After all---isn't vegetarianism the healthiest way to eat?  Well, not necessarily.  Here's my reasoning as to why I continue to eat meat:

No Waste!  (like the Indians):
First of all, let me say that if I had to kill an animal in order to eat it, I definitely would be a vegetarian.  I know I could not kill an animal.  However, since it's already done anyway and the animal is dead, wouldn't it be wrong to waste its flesh?  I know the idea is that less demand leads to less production, but in reality, SO much food is thrown away in this country.  Over production seems to run rampant in the food industry.  (...and don't get me started on overproduction of corn due to corn subsidies from the government!)  So I feel that if I don't eat meat, then I'm saving a bit of flesh that an animal sacrificed from ending up in a landfill somewhere.

Even Vegans Kill:
Second of all, vegetarians and vegans are kidding themselves if they think they are not contributing to the death of animals.  Farming practices kill all kinds of animals.  For example, thousands of field mice get run over by harvesting equipment every time it is used.  Also, the land that is cleared for farming deprives animals of their habitat.  In fact, if we all were to become vegan, a lot more animal species would become extinct due to the vast amount of land if would require us to clear in order to grow all that grain and veggies.

Avoid Bad Juju:
So, either way, we're gonna kill some animals.  I think that the best way to deal with this is to treat the animals with respect and dignity and to give them a humane death.  Meat factory farms are NOT doing this.  To put animals in confined spaces so they can barely move, forcing them to stand knee-high in their own filth, then force-feeding them a diet of corn that they are not able to digest properly, then killing them on an assembly line is not treating them with respect.  Apparently, the stun-gun that they use to stun the cow before slaughter doesn't always do the job and a percentage of cows end up getting skinned alive.  How horrible!  I really  think that we are really racking up some bad karma over the way we treat the animals we eat.  I want no part of this.  Recently, I made the decision to not buy meat from these places or support places who do.  (This means ALL fast-food joints, folks!)  Seriously, factory farming cows is one of the biggest contributors of global warming and is terrible for the environment.  Grass-fed cows from small farms are much better for the environment. 


Buy Local and Grass-Fed (preferable Grass-Finished):
I now go out of my way to get grass-finished beef.  (Some meat-producers are letting their corn-fed cows eat grass for one day before slaughter and are calling it"grass-fed".   OR they will allow a cow that was raised on grass to eat corn to fatten it up before slaughter.  A new term, "grass-finished", had to be invented to differentiate between those and the cows that really are grass-fed their whole lives.)  If it's not available, I don't eat beef that week.

Free-Range:
I was eggxcited (booo) to find some free-range eggs at my local farmer's market yesterday.  The man who raises them says that these chickens have the run of his whole property!  This made me feel good because "free-range" doesn't always mean free-range.  Commercial chicken producers are giving the chickens slightly bigger cages (so the chicken can take one step) and they are calling it "free-range".  (...and the USDA allows them to do it b/c it fits their definition of "free-range".  It's maddening!)  Likewise, "cageless" chickens are packed so tightly in their coops that they can't move.  Their reaction is to peck each other's eyes out, so the practice now is to cut their beaks off.  Just because there's no cage doesn't mean it's any better to pack them in like that.  Just being aware of where your food comes from is a good first step.


Happy Animals are More Delicious:
 I can't prove this scientifically, but it is my opinion that meat and products from happy animals taste better and are better for you.  Think about it.  When you're depressed and unhappy, certain chemicals are produced in your brain.  Fear and pain also produce adrenalin and other chemicals.  It makes sense then, that this is the case with animals.  An unhappy cow or chicken would have different chemicals running through its body than a happy one.  Also, it experiences fear as it goes down the conveyor belt to its death, bathing its muscles in adrenalin and other "fear and pain" chemicals.  If you eat it, you are literally eating the animal's fear and pain.  This can't be good.  A humanely slaughtered cow (and yes, they have these) seems like a better choice to me.  Again, it's not scientific at all, but I totally believe this.  I can tell you that my truly free-range eggs tasted a lot better than the supermarket ones I used to buy.  Plus, the yolks were more orangy in color, indicating a higher level of beta carotene. 

My Number One Reason:
You could say that all of the above is just rationalization.  (You'd be right too.)  But the real reason why I continue to eat meat is because I GAINED weight when I dabbled in veganism.  Yes, I went totally vegan for 6 months a few years ago.  Just because it's vegan, doesn't mean it's healthy!  I was eating things like chips and guacamole, crackers, bread, dark chocolate, lots of grains, lots of soy, vegan brownies and candy, and tons of sugar.  I gained weight because I was eating a lot more carbs than I otherwise would have.  The carbs are what make me gain weight.  Everyone is different, and I do better (and lose more weight) when I restrict my carbs.  Also, I can't eat a lot of things due to health reasons:  no wheat, no dairy, no sugar, severly limited soy, limited grains, no nightshades, no fungi, no vinegar, no alcohol, no fruit.  (My fertility specialist told me to avoid soy.  Apparently, it can give you an estrogen imbalance and can disrupt the fertility cycle.  Yikes!)  I have to eat something!  So, meat and veggies have become my mainstay for food.

 My number one rule for myself lately is:  Eat Responsibly  (I have to admit this has been recent because I really didn't know all this stuff before.  "The Omnivore's Dilemma" has enlightened me.)

Yes, no one's perfect.  BUT - I think if we try to eat responsibly, even for a little bit, it will have a cumulative effect and it's certainly better than doing nothing.  Happy eating!  :-)