5 Tips for Eating More Vegetables

Have you ever noticed that most "eat healthy" advice is packaged as "diet" advice? Too bad the only thing the words "lose weight" help me lose is my attention span. So until recently, I had made a habit of skimming over or outright ignoring news stories, books and articles about nutrition.

That is until I caught two little words associated with healthy eating that finally snagged my attention. Anti-Aging! (That is two words right?) Apparently, at least according to one guru, eating lots of fruits and vegetables will not only keep your calorie count low, but fight the aging process, too!

Well I jumped on that band-wagon like a cowboy jumping on a runaway train! Ever since, I've been searching for ways to consume my recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. The tricky part is making it easy; after all cooking is not exactly my forte. Here are a few tips based on my experimentation thus far:

Eggs

A classic breakfast item. Great source of protein too (or so I'm told). Instead of frying up bacon to go along with 'em (or perhaps in addition to, if you insist) try making a veggie omelet. I like dicing bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes to fry up along with some sort of green leaves like spinach (the frozen variety works just fine). Add to that your beaten and seasoned eggs and you have what I call an omelet. That is in spite of the fact that - due to my lack of cooking skills - it usually comes out looking like a scrambled mess. The good news is it don't have to look pretty to be healthy(er).

Tuna Melt

A good old fashioned sandwich. I don't know why, but I like my tuna to have a little kick to it. Some people add onions, some use pickle relish. As for me, I've started thinly slicing a stalk of celery and adding it to my tuna for texture and flavor (not to mention fiber). If you want to be real adventurous include a few slices of tomato and some lettuce in your sandwich to make sure you get a full serving of veggies here. (In case you were wondering a serving only about one half cup.)

Soup

There is no easier meal than a can of chicken soup. There is no cheaper meal than a package of Ramen noodles. Add a cup of frozen mixed vegetables to either of these and you end up with a meal that has actual nutritional value. It may take an extra five to ten minutes to boil (depending on how soft you like your vegetables), but it's worth it.

Spaghetti

Ragu Spaghetti Sauce advertises right on the jar that it includes a full serving of veggies in every half cup. Now honestly, I don't know if tomato sauce really counts as a either a fruit or a vegetable so for extra points sauté some green peppers and mushrooms to throw on top!

Salad

Pretty obvious, huh? But the fact of the matter is many restaurants offer some really cool salads. They use exotic greens, fresh fruit, candied nuts and, of course, crumbled cheese. This isn't rabbit food I'm talking about; it's tasty and it's filling. Once you've tried one or two professional salads check out your grocer's produce section and buy what you need to make one at home.

Bonus

To get more fruit in your diet buy frozen berries (generally found near the frozen dessert section of your grocery store). They don't go bad after three days like the fresh variety, nor are they soggy like your canned options. They are delicious when thawed (just pop 'em in the microwave for a few seconds) and are great for mixing into smoothies, protein shakes, yogurt, etc.

Now we're getting those free-radical-fighting anti-oxidants in our diets! With any luck I'll make it to sixty wrinkle-free. Think it'll work?