Getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle, but it’s easy to fall into the trap of eating these foods only when they’re served to you. If you don’t like the taste of certain types of produce or simply prefer the convenience of fast food or packaged snacks, it can be difficult to meet your daily dietary requirement without some extra effort. Fortunately, I have some super simple ways to try and make fruits and vegetables more appealing, making it easier than ever before to load up on your daily servings of fresh produce.
Season stuff
Many foods can be enhanced with a little creative seasoning. Take carrots, for example: try sprinkling them with some ground cumin, chilli powder or paprika before roasting. Or as a snack, apples may be more appealing if dipped in a little lemon juice mixed with cinnamon. For added sweetness, you could use a small amount of raw honey over a bowl of fruit. Fresh herbs are also tasty alternatives to salt, whether sprinkled over roasted vegetables or stirred into a pesto sauce for pasta dishes. Experimenting with different flavour combinations is a really easy way to get more fruits and veggies into your diet.
Dig out some recipes
Finding new ways to prepare vegetables can make a big difference in getting more of them into your diet. It may seem obvious but a quick Google search for vegetable recipes will provide plenty of inspiration for creating dishes you love but would probably have never thought of. Alternatively, treat yourself to a new cookbook and enjoy cooking up some new stuff. Funnily enough, professional chefs often know what they’re talking about and create some really delicious stuff!
Try new cooking techniques
Cooking techniques can also make a huge difference in how enjoyable you find fruits and vegetables. Roasting, grilling, steaming, sautéing—all these cooking methods bring out different flavours in produce. Even something as simple as using lemon juice instead of oil when preparing salads can add an entirely new dimension to your usual side dish. Be sure to experiment with different cooking methods until you discover which ones work best for each type of produce!
Just add fruit and veggies to meals you already eat
If you’re a “2x Weetabix for breakfast” kind of person, try adding some fruit to your “usual”. Slice up some banana, throw on some berries or add some homemade fruit compote. Greek yoghurt and fruit is an absolute favourite of mine to recommend to clients; it’s delicious, high in protein, packed with micronutrients and low in calories. Not only will your morning meal be healthier, but also you’ll be less likely to succumb to mid-morning cravings if you’re still satisfied from a sweeter breakfast.
Regularly eat lunch on-the-go? Try choosing a piece of portable fruit as a side-snack for your lunch. Grapes, cherries, apples and bananas are all great choices because they’re pretty much mess-free. And if you regularly pick up a supermarket Meal Deal, there is always an option to choose the fruit snack over the chocolate bar or crips!
If you struggle to think of accompanying vegetables to your evening meals or find yourself short on time, finding yourself a super simple ”go-to” salad can be real game-changer. A spinach side salad is mine and I add it to almost anything. I always have baby spinach, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sliced jalapeños and sliced pickles to hand. It takes all of 2 minutes to put together a salad that goes great with everything. In an absolute “worst case scenario”, I’ll just throw some spinach on my plate. Is it perfect? No but it’s better than nothing!
Summary
Adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet doesn’t have to be difficult. The main thing is to include them as often as you can, be it in a sandwich or just alongside another snack or meal of your choice. When you do decide to eat fruits and veggies, make sure they look appealing and you enjoy the taste—if they don’t seem appetising, chances are you won’t eat them.
