Quick Tricks: Eating More Vegetables

Five servings a day is the goal, but the average adult in the United States gets two and a half (it gets worse -- the three most consumed vegetables are iceberg lettuce, French fries, and ketchup!). Here are some tips for upping your vegetable intake:

Have at least one vegetable with lunch and dinner. Baked sweet potatoes, sauteed spinach, and steamed broccoli are delicious, easy to make, and full of nutrients.

Make salad one of your meals three or four times a week. Forget the standard "greens and tomatoes" and refer back to this article for hints on creating a tasty, filling salad.

Veg-out during snack time. Pass on the potato chips and instead dip celery sticks into natural peanut butter or broccoli and carrots into hummus.

Add at least two nutritious vegetables to a sandwich (i.e.: spinach leaves, shredded carrots, peppers, sliced tomatoes, etc.)

Add a vegetable to your pizza (i.e.: broccoli, spinach, onions, peppers, etc.)

Mix in at least two vegetables into an omelette.

Go for frozen. In a hurry? Pop open a bag of frozen broccoli spears or sweet peppers and throw them into a stir-fry. Veggies in five minutes!

Add at least two chopped vegetables to pasta sauce. They will enhance flavor and help fill you up faster.

Mix and match! Please your tastebuds by cutting up peppers, onions, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, and parsnips, mixing them with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasting them in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.