Do you eat 4-5 servings of vegetables a day? Most people don’t!
Here are some ideas to make vegetables more appealing.
—» Fresh is best: Try fresh vegetables at your local Farmers Market. They are sweeter and tastier than those shipped halfway around the world. You’ll be amazed how good they taste!
—» Prepare them properly: Don’t overcook –limp, discolored, soggy veggies are not appetizing. Furthermore, overcooking destroys many of their nutrients.
—» Enhance their flavor by adding some healthy oils and herbs: For example, spinach and zucchini are delightfully tasty when stir fried in a touch of olive oil and garlic and seasoned with small amounts of sea salt. A touch of grated Parmesan or goats cheese can also compliment their flavor and make them a delicious treat to your meal, rather than a bland, sour tasting side dish.
—» Blanch your vegetables: Blanching, a technique commonly used amongst Asian cooks, makes vegetables deliciously tasty. The first step is to boil the water. Secondly, add the selected vegetables for 30-60 seconds, then remove them from the heat and drop them in cold, icy water. This technique stops strong flavors, like that of broccoli or Brussels sprouts from developing. These vegetables can then be added to salads, stir fries, sushi rolls or refrigerated or frozen for later use.
—» Stir-frying them: This technique helps them remain crunchy and colorful. The key is to never overcook them in this process (1-2 minutes cooking time).
—» Roast them: Slow roasting vegetables are another delicious technique to bring out a vegetable’s natural sweetness and eliminate their sharpness.
—» Dip them: If you don’t like the flavor of vegetables on their own, dip them in either low sodium soy or tamari sauce, or a low fat dip, such as hummus, guacamole, yogurt or a bean dip.
—» Steam them: The healthiest approach, steam your vegetables in a steamer when the water is at boiling point. Steam for a maximum of 3 minutes only and serve immediately. This will enhance their natural flavors, crunchiness and nutrients.
—» Add a delicious sauce to them: After you have cooked your vegetables, add a small amount of one of my tasty sauces to enhance their flavor. Refer to the recipes in my MVB-Health Cook Book.
—» Eat them with other foods: Vegetables such as cauliflower or broccoli can often taste better when eaten with another sweeter vegetable, such as sweet potato and carrots, or eaten in conjunction with a chicken or fish dish.
—» Disguise or blend them into other foods: Blending vegetables into soups and stews can make them a less dominant part of your dish. If you are a really picky vegetable eater, you can also puree them into either a veggie drink or a pasta sauce: The key is to keep the flavor in the background and transition slowly by adding more veggies.
—» Change your thinking: When you focus on all the wonderful things veggies can do for your weight and health, you will naturally want to add more colorful vegetables into your diet. So, “re-educate’ your thinking. It all starts with your thoughts!
—» Say this affirmation: “I love eating veggies because they are my key to long-term health and weight loss.”
A FINAL NOTE TO YOU:
Adding more vegetables, whether cooked, or served raw as in a salads, is key to both your health and fat loss.
When served raw or lightly sautéed as suggested above (and not fried or served with rich buttery or rich cheese based sauces), vegetables are low in calories, nutrient power houses, and high in fiber, making it is very difficult for you to gain excess body fat!
My programs are committed to helping you find fun and innovative ways to both select the right veggies for your body type, and to prepare them in delectable ways, so that you want to eat them throughout your day, not have to!
Wishing you much happiness and health,
(Nutritionist, Life Coach and Director of MVB-Health)
Your Most Valuable Body
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