7 Ways to Increase Your Fruit & Vegetable Intake
“Eat your vegetables!”
Yes, yes, yes…a suggestion as old as time. You’ve probably heard it from your mom, your grandparents, your teacher, the government — and now, you’re gonna hear it from your registered dietitian!
According to the latest edition of the Canada Food Guide, it is recommended to aim for 1/2 of the plate of fruits and vegetables in order to ensure proper nutrition at every meal (i.e. 3x/day). Eating & preparing colourful healthy meals should be considered a fun and exciting part of our day! While it may seem like a difficult & daunting task at first, sometimes all it takes is a little creativity, knowledge & inspiration to help whip up something delicious.
Here are some of my favourite ways to get more fruits & vegetables into my everyday meals!
Raw (in a sandwich or paired with the meal)
In a sandwich
Any form of sandwiches (ex: a wrap, a panini, an open-faced sandwich) are my personal favourite way to get a decent amount of fruits and vegetables to a meal. Eaten fresh, grilled or roasted — a little goes a long way!
Tomato
Lettuce
Red onion
Avocado
Arugula
As a snack or crudités
If you’re not big of a fan of mixed textures and flavours, the easiest method to adding more vegetables to a meal is the simple route of pairing it on the side!
Celery
Carrot
Cucumber
Bell pepper
Cherry tomatoes
2. Steamed
Not all vegetables are meant to be eaten this way, but some make the cut! I get frustrated whenever I get asked if cooking your vegetables will reduce the value of food — the bottom line is : as long as you don’t overlook it, go with whatever cooking method that gets you to actually eat the vegetable!
Ready when crunchy & bright green…
Asparagus
Broccoli
Green beans
Ready when bright & tender…
Zucchini
Cauliflower
Carrots
3. Roasted, Grilled or Air-fried
Make the most of your leftover vegetables through the simple act of cooking them in a different way — you may discover a vegetable you didn’t know you loved!
Roasted in the oven…
Cauliflower
Brussel sprouts
Radish
Carrots
Squash
Grilled
Zucchini
Eggplant
Mushroom
Bell peppers
Onions
Air fried…
Brussels sprouts
Bell peppers
Zucchini
4. In a salad
Salads sometimes get a bad wrap for being too ‘basic’…but it’s basically just a great way to add more fruits and vegetables to your meals!
Best eaten raw…
Arugula
Mixed greens
Fresh herbs (ex: parsley, mint, cilantro)
Radish
Crunchy fruit (ex: apples, pears) or berries (ex: strawberries, blueberries, pomegranate)
Delicious both raw & cooked…
Kale
Spinach
Collard Greens
Squash
Fennel
5. As a dessert
Although adding vegetables is what is often encouraged to consume most often, fruits also make the cut of the daily dose of nutrition we need. All fruits fit!
Simply fresh…
Melon (ex: watermelon, cantaloupe, honey melon)
Citrus fruit (ex: clementine, orange , grapefruit)
Grapes
Paired with your favourite dessert or snack…
Berries (ex: strawberries, raspberry, blueberry)
Mango
Peach or nectarine
6. In a smoothie (fresh or frozen)
Smoothies can sometimes get a bad wrap for being too sweet. However, in contrast to juicing, smoothies offer the added benefit of preserving the fruits & vegetables’ natural fibres to help keep us regular, prolong the absorption of the natural sugars found in them and provide us with essential vitamins and minerals!
To make your smoothie sweet…
Berries
Pineapple
Peach
Pineapple
To make your smoothie more creamy…
Banana
Avocado
Mango
Papaya
7. In a saute
My favourite way to get rid of leftover produce is through the simple task of sautéing them in a pan! I typically like to always include at least 2-3 types of vegetables to get the best stir fried results!
In a Asian-inspired noodle or rice dish…
Green beans & snow peas
Bell pepper & carrots
Bok choy & garlic
In an European pasta or potato dish…
Kale or spinach
Carrots & onions
Mushrooms