Veggies are the foundation of a healthy diet!
It is true that we all have different dietary preferences, intolerances, and eating habits that work best for our bodies, but there is one thing that everyone can agree on: we can ALL benefit from eating more vegetables!
You can reap so many benefits from eating more veggies. As well as helping you to stay healthy and maintain a healthy digestive system, it reduces your risk of cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
Here are 5 veggie-friendly ideas to get you started if you know your diet isn't as nutritional as it could be!
How many veggies should we be eating anyway?
Most of us know we should be eating 5+ servings of vegetables a day, and this is certainly a good place to start. The fact is, 34% of Kiwis don’t even get three handfuls of non-starchy vegetables a day (and this figure includes starchy vegetables too, so it is an overestimation of how many serves we actually eat of non-starchy vegetables), meaning there is still work to do!
We should aim to consume at least 600 grams of non-starchy vegetables and fruit every day to help keep our bodies healthy from the inside out, according to the World Cancer Research Fund report. What does 600g look like? It's about 7 or 8 servings (handfuls) per day. It is ideal to have 2 servings of fruit and the extra 5+ or so servings of non-starchy vegetables.
Whether a vegetable is considered 'starchy' or 'non-starchy' has a lot to do with how much starch it contains. Starch and non-starch vegetables are neither defined nor classified officially, but dense vegetables like potato, kumara, yam, taro, green banana, and corn contain 15–30% starch. As for other vegetables, they are lower than this, peas 7%, pumpkin 6%, carrots 4% and broccoli 2%, so arguably they are less starchy, although you can see how interpretations can vary. Spinach, lettuce, mushrooms and all the rest of the vegetables are easier to clearly classify as they have very little starch, so they fit well into the ‘non-starchy’ camp.
1. Smoothies
One of the easiest ways to get more vegetables into your diet is to blend them into a smoothie. Spinach, kale, cucumber, frozen courgette/zucchini chunks (yep it works), beetroot and carrot all work well.
Check out these recipes ideas:
2. Veggie sticks and dip 🥕
Prepare quick, easy and nourishing snacks by chopping carrots, cucumbers, celery or capsicum into sticks and serving them with a hummus dip or nut butter! Prep the chopped vegetables at the start of the week and keep them in the fridge for a quick grab and go snack.
3. Omelettes 🍳
Using eggs as the base for your omelette allows you to spice things up to your heart's content! Leafy greens, spinach, mushrooms, red onion, capsicum, tomato, and zucchini are all excellent veggie options. Aim for 1-2 handfuls of veggies and 2 eggs per person.
4. Beef up mince dishes 🫑
If you're cooking bolognese, nachos or shepherd's pie, this is a great chance to sneak some extra vegetables into your meal! Great options include grated, zucchini, finely chopped or grated mushrooms as well as frozen veggies. You can also extra protein with beans or lentils.
5. Toast toppers 🍅
You simply can't go wrong with avocado on toast, so layer it up with some sliced tomato and red onion for a veg boost! One combo the DediKate team has been loving is sourdough, vegemite, avocado and tomato! *Chef's kiss
Looking for more nutrition tips and advice? 🥬
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Get in touch with DediKate Nutritionist, Claire!
Claire is a registered nutritionist, with over 18 years experience and has recently completely a Diploma in Positive Psychology. She is a published author with two best-selling books, regularly appears on TV, radio and at speaking events, and is the owner and director of the private nutrition practice and workplace wellness company, Mission Nutrition.
You can also watch Claire's Masterclass replays which are available at any time! ⬇️
