You can look anywhere on the internet and find conflicting information regarding how much vegetables and fruit you should be consuming in a day. Regardless of which one is accurate, the answer is we should be eating a lot. It might seem daunting to eat enough fruits and veggies but take my word for it as someone who didn't always get enough, it's not impossible! I started chopping up raw veg everyday to eat in between meals and eventually it became part of my routine. In fact, I eat anywhere from 2 to 4 cups of raw veggies everyday depending on the type of veg I'm consuming. This, on top of the veggies and fruit I might consume with or in other meals, has put me at 6 - 9+ servingas of vegetables per day. It seems impossible but guys, I'm telling you not only is it possible, but it's actually quite easy! WHAT IS A SERVING? (Approximates) - 1 Cup Raw Vegetables - 1 Large Bell Pepper - 2 Small Carrots / 2 Stalks Celery - 1 Piece of fruit (Banana, Apple etc.) - 1/2 C Cooked vegetables - 2 Cups (Raw) Leafy Greens These are examples of what a serving of veggies or fruit would consist of. Now, let's break down how I get my fruit and veggies each day and show you just how simple it actually is!
Meals
Not eating meat honestly makes it easier for me to eat more veggies. When it comes to meal time, I try to follow the general rule that there is always room for one more veggi9e in whatever it is I'm making. I eat a reasonable amount of tomato based pasta dishes with several cups of fresh spinach. I like to blend cooked broccolo or cauliflower into cream sauces. Not to mention, whenever I'm eating something particularly hearty, I'll try and have a salad to go along with it. Don't forget that beans constitute as veggies AND a great source of protein. I add beans and chickpeas into my pasta dishes and they are the stars of dishes like soups or chilis. Quite literally, I can easily put away 2 - 3 servings of vegetables per meal. The point I'm trying to make here is that it's totally within reach to eat anywhere from 6 - over 10 servings of veggies and fruit every day if you really make the effort. I came from someone who maybe had 3 - 4 everyday to now where I've adopted a few tricks into my routine and now I'm eating more vegetables and fruit than ever before. I would also like to point out I still manage to get my occasional junky treat in too! I enjoy my chip coated peanuts, nutella stuffed wafer sticks, pretzels etc. and although these things are NOT healthy, I feel ok eating them because I know how much good I've put into my body otherwise. How many servings of fruit and veg do you guys get everyday? What are your tips for getting more into your diet? HAPPY VEG
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Ahh, the humble potato, one of the vegetable world's most recognized and well received vegetables not to mention my personal favourite right next to raw celery. Potatoes are the perfect veggie in so many ways because they can adapt to pretty much any flavour and you can utilize them in any way imaginable. Mashed, roasted, boiled, smashed, fried, baked, whipped etc., the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, as health continues to take priority in today's society, people are turning away from the tater in favour of it's sweeter and more antioxidant rich cousin the sweet potato. Is it true that regular old potatoes are as bad for you as they're being regarded? The short answer is no. Often times, when someone is discussing why regular potatoes aren't as good for you, they are villifying the toppings one chooses to put on the tater.
THE FACTS
WAYS TO KEEP YOUR TATERS HEALTHY Here's a few tips for making sure your potatoes stay good for you or at the very least, aren't smothered with boatloads of extra calories!
There's no denying sweet potatoes are wonderful for you but that's not enough of a reason to shun the other varieties. Enjoy a mixed variety of taters in your life and you'll be just fine, just enjoy them for what they are without the constant need to smother them in fat and more fat.
HAPPY VEG I found this article this morning while I was doing my usual rounds through the MSN homepage and wanted to share with you guys some of the things from this list I agreed or disagreed with. The list compiles 29 products from the grocery store that you really shouldn't be buying when considering how easy it is to do at home or how much better for you it is to do from scratch. Let's break down some of the things on this list :)
Do you agree with my position on things? Check the article out for yourself and see how many of these things you buy that maybe you can start quickly whipping up at home!
HAPPY VEG Making scratch made dressing and vinaigrette is super easy to do at home especially thanks to websites like Pinterest or television networks like the Food Network or Cooking Channel which give you all the inspiration you could need. There are a billion ways to whip up scratch made salad dressings but sometimes we all still find ourselves reaching for a bottle of the pre-made stuff. While there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of a bottle of dressing from the shelf at the market, all dressings and vinaigrettes are NOT created equal. This post is inspired by my sudden realization at work last night that I wanted to whip up a bean salad when I got home but had no vinegar and no fresh herbs which are scare here in Dublin. Knowing this, I went on the hunt for a bottle of vinaigrette and as someone who religiously reads ingredient labels, it was quickly apparent that no two vinaigrettes are the same. In the case of bottled vinaigrette, the ingredients list should typically be short and sweet. Oil of course, vinegar, seasonings, herbs, maple syrup or honey, and occasionally citrus, other than this, you shouldn't see anything else in there but that is definitely not always the case. Here's a few things you should watch out for when shopping for vinaigrette!
CORN SYRUP Another sugary substance hiding out in your dressings and vinagrettes. I can guarantee you that when you see one of these syrups, you'll also see sugar in the list as well which is just a nutritional disaster. There's no room in a vinaigrette for teaspoons upon teaspoons of sugar. SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS If your ingredient list is a short story and half of those ingredients sound like something straight out of an experimental laboratory, stay as far away from that vinaigrette as possible. LOW FAT / LOW CAL These are dangerous and misleading when it comes to bottle vinaigrettes because it almost every case of something being low in one thing, they've added more other bad things to compensate and keep things tasty. Just stick to full fat vinaigrettes and suggested serving sizes and you'll be fine.
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Jonathan - Happy VegDedicated Foodie. Proud Vegetarian. Recipe Creator. Friend to all Animals. Archives
May 2024
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