Although I love the idea of eating healthy, it is difficult to eat the daily two-and-a-half cups of vegetables recommended by the USDA… with out getting bored. In effort to find a way to make eating vegetables more fun (since the spoon-as-an-airplane trick only works on babies), I composed these tips:
1. Trick your eyes. Get colorful containers for you refrigerator and fill them with bright-colored veggie snacks. You can show off carrot slices in an orange container, and display salad-ready lettuce in a green container. Chop veggies as soon as you get home from your weekend trip to the grocery store… and save some time on Monday lunch salad prep.
2. Eat Seasonally You may not be craving a fresh chopped salad on a stormy Winter day – so don’t force yourself to crunch carrot sticks after shoveling your driveway. Vegetables can be cozy comfort food, too (not just hot chocolate and ginger bread). Warm your tummy with a pot pie, zucchini bread, or some creamy butternut squash soup.
3. Reward Yourself Find a couple of salad dressings that would make wood chips taste good – and use enough to make a salad taste delicious. Add croutons, sesame seeds, or nuts… and you may actually be looking forward to eating your veggies. Although this is not the healthiest option, it’s better than not getting enough vitamins. Once you get in the habit of eating vegetables, you can experiment with using 1/2 the dressing that you were using before. You can also reward yourself with a small piece of chocolate when you finish your vegetables. It’s much tastier than a gold star!
Posted by marykblalock 
