My Top Tips for Powering up on Veggies

Vegetables, from deep green leaves to round, pungent bulbs, are at the core of a plant-powered diet. That’s because they are full of powerful nutrients and bioactive compounds that promote optimal health, including:

• Healthy Carbs.   Although the carbohydrate levels are usually low in most vegetables, a few contain higher levels. But these carbs are typically slow-burning, so they can fuel your energy levels without rapid blood sugar highs and lows.

• Fiber.   The vegetable family includes all types of fiber, including insoluble and soluble fiber, oligosaccharides, resistant starches, lignins, and inulin for a variety of heart and digestive health benefits and improved blood sugar levels.

• Protein.   Some veggies even contain significant amounts of protein—up to 4 grams per ½ cup serving.

• Vitamins Galore.   Almost every essential vitamin can be traced back to the vegetable family, including folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, and vitamins A, B6, C, and K.

• Mineral Bounty.   Veggies contain supplies of many essential minerals, such as iron, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, copper, and selenium.

• Phytochemicals.   Vegetables are extremely high in a cornucopia of phytochemicals that provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties as well as documented health benefits.

Top 15 Tips for Powering Up on Veggies

There are so many reasons to pump up the volume on veggies, but so few people are taking full advantage of them. Only 26 percent of adults eat a full serving of vegetables three or more times a day.  Here are my favorite tips for boosting those precious servings of vegetables to at least six servings a day.

1. Mix onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers  into a morning veggie burrito, tofu scramble, or breakfast pita.

2. Try sliced tomatoes or a baked tomato half at breakfast—it’s a favorite in the United Kingdom.

3. Pile lettuce, spinach, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, peppers, and/or onions  into your whole grain sandwich, pita, or wrap.

4. At least weekly, put vegetable stir-fry on the menu.  Sauté cabbage, broccoli, celery, snow peas, bell peppers, carrots, onions, and/or mushrooms with tofu or nuts and your favorite spices and serve with brown rice or whole grains like wheat berries.

5. Make your own vegetarian pizza   packed with spinach, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms (or try my recipe for    Arugula Salad Pizza).

6. Have a veggie burger once a week, topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and avocado.

7. Make a hearty chili   with beans, fresh or canned tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

8. Double up on cooked vegetable   servings at dinner time.

9. Add chopped vegetables,   such as mushrooms, green peas, broccoli, carrots, summer squash, green beans, onions, and red peppers, to broth-based soups.

10. Include a garden salad or broth-based vegetable soup  at every dinner.

11. Mix vegetables into your favorite casseroles—try peas or squash in your macaroni and cheese or broccoli and kale in your lasagna.

12. Use leftover chopped, cooked vegetables  (broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, green peas) in soup, stew, or a casserole the next day.

13. Use low-sodium tomato juice  as a base for soups.

14. Make a big pot of vegetable soup   and freeze in individual containers for a quick, microwaveable lunch.

15. Don’t just limit salad to a plate of pale greens; try a variety of leaves, from red oak to arugula, and top them with a rainbow of veggies, including cucumbers, carrots, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, corn, peppers, tomatoes, and jicama.

Image: produce at a local farmers market, Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN

For other ideas on boosting veggies in your diet, try these favorite recipes:

Curried Leek Vegetable Soup
Thai Tofu Veggie Noodle Bowl
Vegetable Tofu Pho