Eat Your Fruits and Veggies!
So, your mom was right. You have got to eat your veggies. They are so good for you… vitamins, antioxidants, FIBER! You know how good plants are in your diet. You have heard that you should increase the number of fruits and vegetables on your plate. You want to incorporate more plants in your diet… but how?
Here you go!
- First, clean out your cupboards and clean out your fridge. When you get home from work and you need a quick snack, what is the first thing you go for? Is it just going to satisfy that need to put something in your mouth or is it going to nourish you? Is it what you want to put in your body? If not, toss it or give it away. Things to toss:
- Processed foods
- Refined grains
- Artificial sweeteners
- Things with ingredients that you can’t pronounce or that don’t come from nature
- Processed meats
- Fill your fridge with good food. Real food! These are foods that are a product of nature – fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. Look at ingredients. Can you read them all? If it is something that you aren’t familiar with, google it. Does it come from nature or a factory? Pick things that come from nature.
- Discover some good go-to snacks and put them front and center. When you are hungry and you head to the kitchen for a snack, you will be more likely to choose something good for your body if it is easy and right in front of you.
A few of our favorites:
- Veggies and Hummus (pre-cut your veggies at a convenient time so that when you need a quick snack they are easy and ready)
- Apples and peanut butter, or any nut butter
- Just a good piece of fruit – leave a bowl of fruit on your kitchen table for easy access
- Roasted veggies – roast extra vegetables at dinner and save them for snacking later
- Edamame with a tiny bit of salt
- Look through your recipes- What plant-based meals do you already eat? Put those oldies but goodies to the top of your rotation more frequently.
- Add vegetables to everything and double or triple the amount in your recipes.
- Buy that large bin of power greens, make a goal to use them all before they go bad by incorporating them into everything—fried rice, pasta dishes, whatever casserole you are making, sandwiches and wraps.
- Modify recipes you already love to incorporate more veggies and less meat. One of our staple meals is ramen. It is quick and easy. I love this recipe for homemade chicken ramen. When I started incorporating more plant-based meals, I modified it. I took out the chicken and eggs and added edamame and threw in some extra veggies. I used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Still so good.
- Try new things! There are so many websites out there with great recipes. Here are a few of my favorites. Check back to this website in the future as I start posting my favorite recipes too.
- https://runningonrealfood.com/recipes/
Add any good tips or favorite recipes in the comments!
Dena DePiazza is a National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach and is certified as a Certified Pain Management Coach. She is your personal advocate for living an energized and passionate life. She works with clients to help them create healthy lives in a way that is flexible, fun, and free of denial and unsustainable discipline. By working together, you can discover lifestyle choices that best support you. Dena helps you learn to make gradual, lifelong changes that will enable you to reach your current and future health goals.
with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nutritional Sciences. She is a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Nutrition Coach through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM).
Nadia enjoys providing the guidance and support people need to achieve good health and considers herself their biggest cheerleader when they decide to make their health a priority. As a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, Nadia works with clients one on one to help them optimize their health through holistic health practices. She helps reduce the symptoms of chronic illness through nutrition and lifestyle practices, but is not limited to helping anyone who wants to learn how to make better choices. She teaches clients basic kitchen skills, how to read labels and will even do grocery tours. As a personal trainer, Nadia works with clients of all levels, ages and in various settings. She has taught group fitness classes and worked with clients one on one. She emphasizes the importance of staying injury free and building strength to move about their day without pain.
Karissa originally attended Westmont College in beautiful Santa Barbara, and began her B.S. in Psychology, then transferred to Montreat College, in the Appalachian hills of North Carolina, graduating Cum Laude with a B.S. in Music Therapy, and a double minor in Psychology and Music Business.
