EAT YOUR VEGETABLES

‘Eat your veggies!’ is one phrase which we have all grown up hearing from our mothers and grandmothers. And rightly so, cause vegetables do come with a whole lot of benefits for people of all age groups. Unfortunately, even if one dislikes vegetables, we do need to add them in our daily meals for a lot of important functions they serve within our body.

Vegetables are packed with fibre, vitamins, minerals and certain antioxidants and phytochemicals which play a major role in our body. Vegetables are relatively low in calories with a few exceptions (like root vegetables) and are nutrient dense .i.e. packed with beneficial micro-nutrients which help our bodies function efficiently. Consuming a variety of vegetables helps in weight management, controlling diabetes, improves heart health and keeps a lot of other lifestyles diseases away.

Let’s see a few simple ways in which we can incorporate vegetables as part of our daily meals and I’m sure we can all manage to fit them in some form or the other.

EASY WAYS TO EAT YOUR VEGGIES

· RAW SALAD: The easiest way to consume vegetables is to chop them up and toss it into a salad or just eat it the way it is. When you are falling short of time, you can stick to the basic cucumber, tomato, onion, carrot, etc. or you can get creative and include a variety using different greens, beetroot, bell peppers, etc. with seasonings of your choice. However, avoid the packaged salad dressings and instead use seasonings like pepper, lime juice, chilli flakes, fresh or dried herbs, etc. to add flavour to your salads.

· COOKED VEGETABLES: A lot of people don’t fancy eating salads as part of their daily meals. Although, raw vegetables do come with their own benefits and should be consumed in some amounts, cooked vegetables have their benefits too! If you are someone who prefers eating vegetables in cooked form then go ahead! Use seasonal and local vegetables and don’t drain them in oil and spices when cooking. Go easy with the oil in preparing the vegetables and avoid making them all mushy. Cook them until just done and have a good portion of at least 2 different coloured vegetables in your meal.

· GRILLED/SAUTEED VEGETABLES: Have left over marinade? Just add your veggies to it and put them on your grilling pan! If not, just a drizzle of olive oil with salt, pepper and additional seasoning of your choice with vegetables like carrots, eggplant, mushrooms, broccoli, beans, etc. sautéed on your pan and you have your veggie fix!

· ADD VEGGIES TO YOUR MAIN DISH: Another simple way of including vegetables in your diet is by adding some to your main dish. For instance, add a good quantity of chopped vegetables to your rice, whole grain pasta or millets. You can even add vegetables to your curries, pulses or lentils (For e.g. Methi chicken, mushroom and broccoli chicken, spinach – chickpea curry, spinach dal, eggplant lasagne, etc.). You could also add vegetables to your egg preparations like omelettes, scrambled eggs, etc. Another interesting way is to add some vegetables to your cutlets and kebabs like grated carrots, finely chopped onions and bell peppers to chicken or paneer cutlets. So choose combinations liked by you and your family members and start incorporating some vegetables in each meal.

· SOUPS & SMOOTHIES: Prepare soups by adding good amounts of vegetables to it. Pumpkin, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli or mix vegetables soups as per your liking. Use a combination of 2-3 vegetables to add variety and flavour to your soup. You could even add vegetables to your favourite chicken soup! For juices and smoothies, avoid straining them so as to not discard the fibre. Also, make sure to wash your vegetables well and steam or blanch them whenever necessary especially when using for juices and smoothies.

I’m sure with some special efforts and adequate meal planning, vegetables can be added to each meal in a variety of ways. See what works for you and your family members and encourage the consumption of vegetables as much as possible. Also, start including vegetables in your child’s diet from a young age, even if it’s a small quantity that he/she may consume. And as adults, we need to increase our intake of vegetables and go easy on the amounts of grains we consume in each meal!

Note : Images are for representation purpose only