10 Tips to Help Add More Vegetables and Fruits to Your Diet
3 April 2007I’m not a big fan of dieting, especially when the food restrictions are ridiculous. But lately I’ve been trying to lose weight with exercise and I decided to compliment the exercise with a diet.
I dramatically cut the amount of meat that I ate in my diet to try and lower my cholesterol, but I found that I was hungry all the time. After a week or two of this I had to figure out how to add more food to my diet without adding too many calories.
I found the best way to keep full and not ruin your diet is to add A LOT of fruits and vegetables. Most vegetables are practically zero calories and fruits help with energy, so adding them in substitution for starches and meats is really helpful.
Here are some tips that I’ve found that helped me add more fruits and vegetables to my diet:
Buy your produce on a regular and more frequent schedule
When I first started trying to add more fruits and vegetables I found that I was over buying them in large quantities because I only went grocery shopping every couple weeks. The result was spoiled fruits and vegetables that I had to throw out. I’m going to the store at least once a week now.
Only buy as much as you will eat or less
Once you are visiting your local market more frequently it will be easier to manage how much you buy at one time, but at first just buy small quantities and see how much you finish.
Find what you like and start with that
Don’t force fruits and vegetables that you don’t like thinking that you’ll “learn to love it.” Buy what you know you like. You’ll eventually get sick of those and you’ll look for something else for variety, you may end up liking something you hate, but don’t start with it.
Prepare as much of your produce as possible as soon as you get home
I buy a lot of lettuce for salads. When I first started I would make my salads when I wanted them, but I found myself having less salad than I should have because I didn’t want to take the time to cut vegetables. Now when I get home I cut up everything ahead of time. I put the prepared salads in tupperware and they keep for longer than they would if they weren’t prepared.
Snack on fruit
When you are supplementing your diet or changing your diet there is a tendency to be hungry ALL THE TIME for the first week or month. The best thing you can do is to snack throughout the day. I’ve been using fruit for this because I don’t like fruit with my meals. Occasionally I’ll have some celery or carrots as snacks, but I find fruits to be more filling during the day.
Try to add a vegetables to every meal
You can add some sort of vegetable to every meal. Green beans, salad, etc. can go with just about anything.
Garnish vegetables with herbs, spices, and light oils or butter
Vegetables get really boring, at least I think so, but you can give them a lot more variety by adding some fresh herbs and spices.
Get it in juice form
Before I got serious about adding fruits and vegetables I used to get my daily allotment from V8 and Odwalla. I’m not saying that you should do this exclusively, but if you find that you aret getting enough fruits and vegetables right now and you don’t want to put any effort into adding them to your diet, juice is a good alternative.
Get a blender
This is the best thing I have ever done for my diet. I started with a juicer, but that just wasted a lot of fruit. With a blender you get to make smoothies with yogurt, berries, fruits, and juice. There are so many combinations you can try that you’ll never get bored using your blender to create delicious concoctions.
Get a food processor
I bought a blender-food processor combo thing, but having a food processor is great. I use it for salsa and making hummus.
Hopefully these tips will help to get you eating more fruits and vegetables on a regular basis.
Anthony
on April 3rd, 2007 at 8:05 pm
I agree. Another tip for not being hungry is drinking an obscene amount of water. When i say obscene, i don’t mean to give yourself water poisoning. Please don’t do that. But a good 60-something ounces of water a day is hard for most of us to tolerate, but if you find yourself hungry, have a glug or two of water. you will find having something in your starving belly feels better than nothing, and it’s good for you.
on April 4th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
We’ve cut most of the meat out of our diet in the past year, and I’ve found that a couple of good veggie cookbooks has been very helpful. Our meals are filling and exciting and contain no meat.
on April 13th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
I agree with Brett on the water thing, except I disagree that it’s hard to tolerate 60 oz (or even 80 oz) of water. I usually just wander around with a big 28 oz bottle with me, and I sip it throughout the day but I also make sure to chug it empty at least 2-3 times, and presto! You’ve had your water.
Tony - I’m with you on the V-8 thing; it’s a great way to sneak some easy veg into your diet, but it’s missing the fiber of whole veggies, so I only use it when I know I’m not going to get enough veggies by other means.
I’m not a big fruit-at-mealtimes eater either, and I’m not super big on smoothies, but lately I’ve enjoyed cutting up apples into thin slices, putting them in a bowl, and eating them as a snack while watching tv. Dried fruit is another easy way to make your RDA: two tiny dried apricots = one whole serving of fruit!
on April 13th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Oh yeah…I forgot to say that I do the apple thing with cucumbers as well - a couple of thinly sliced cucumbers with a little vinegar, a little oil, and some salt & pepper can actually be a pretty filling afternoon snack, and the salt and vinegar make it a nice substitute for chips or crackers.
on April 13th, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Tracy - I always forget about cookbooks. That sounds like a good idea to find a few good recipes.
Cat - Dried food! That’s a great idea too.
on April 25th, 2007 at 8:19 am
Thank You