Struggling to eat enough veggies? Here are 19 easy and effective tips to help boost your daily intake, even with a busy schedule.
We all know how essential fruits and vegetables are for a balanced diet, but while snacking on fruit is easy, getting enough vegetables can feel like a daily struggle.
Busy schedules often push us toward quick, convenient meals, leaving veggies off the plate.
If you’re finding it tough to squeeze more vegetables into your day, you’re not alone. This article shares 19 simple and effective ways to help you eat more veggies with ease!
1. Drink Green Smoothies
If you’ve been here before, you’ll know how much I love green smoothies.
Blend 60% whole fruits with 40% green leafy veggies, add water, and you will have a great-tasting veggie dish.
Try one of these delicious breakfast smoothie recipes for that much-needed morning energy boost in the morning.
If you don’t yet have a blender, check out my list of recommended smoothie blenders for some affordable options.
2. Use Vegetables Instead of Pasta Noodles
You can get a spiral slicer or a mandolin slicer at most cooking stores, but failing that, use a vegetable peeler to create fun noodle shapes out of veggies.
Try zucchini, spaghetti squash, and eggplant for the best results. Top with your favorite pasta sauce, and you’ll have a fun dish ready to eat.
3. Eat Kale Chips
Instead of reaching for those starchy potato or corn chips, why not get your greens in?
You can dehydrate your kale chips with a dehydrator. If you prefer to use the oven, set it on the lowest setting for the best results.
4. Guzzle Some Green Juices
Do you prefer juicing over blending?
Invest in a good quality juicer and make juicing an everyday habit. It’s another effective way to get your minerals and vitamins in.
Read my centrifugal juicer buying guide for a list of some of the best centrifugal juicers on the market.
5. Puree Vegetables Into Soup
You can either use a blender or a juicer to make fresh, yummy veggie soups.
Try a mix of carrot and cucumber, and add your favorite spices, or give it a little kick with some feisty fresh ginger.
Be sure to check out my spicy pumpkin soup recipe for an example of a very easy to prepare veggie soup.
6. Be Creative With New Vegetables
See what’s available in your area and surprise your senses with exciting new vegetables. It’s easy to always buy the same veggies, but trying new ones can be a lot of fun.
Also, try preparing vegetables in ways you’ve never done before. Why not chop broccoli up into salads? Or shred some turnips, or try bok-choy as a dipping veggie.
7. Shred Tough Veggies Into an Easy Slaw
With a food processor or by hand, shred those tough “winter veggies” into an easy-to-enjoy slaw.
You can top it with your favorite salad dressings or invent your own. Plus, it’s so easy to grab some in a container when you’re on the go.
8. Marinate Vegetables
Chop up some of your favorite vegetables and marinate them for a few hours to soften them up and give them that extra taste.
I like a mix of olive oil, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. I’ve marinated mushrooms, broccoli, string beans, asparagus, and the list goes on.
9. Make Pasta Sauce With Veggies
If you usually buy pasta sauce, why not chop or puree your own fresh vegetables into it to make it that much healthier?
Alternatively, you can make fresh veggie pasta sauces with a good blender.
10. Steam a Sweet Potato
If you’re craving that warm, comforting feeling, reaching for a steamed sweet potato is a healthy non-processed starch way to go.
11. Focus on the Best Tasting Vegetables
One reason why vegetables often get overlooked is that they don’t always taste very nice.
Some vegetables do taste better than others, that’s for sure, and there are also ways to make them tastier, such as roasting.
Check out my guide to vegetables for picky eaters for a complete overview of the best-tasting vegetables and creative ways to serve them.
12. Add a Green Powder to Your Drinks
If you’re on the go and fear not getting enough greens in, then green powders are the way to go.
I recommend a blue-green algae like spirulina, which packs a punch.
But there are many other green powder supplements that you can add to a glass of water or a smoothie, or even sprinkle on top of salads.
13. Cut up Fresh Veggies and Add to Grain Dishes
It doesn’t matter if you eat cooked or raw quinoa, brown rice, or barley; you can still use this tip.
Simply chop up fresh vegetables like spinach, cucumbers, and other veggies and put them into your grain dishes.
14. Make a Vegetable Sandwich
With a veggie sandwich, you could end up with a lovely-looking salad, between two slices of bread. Choose the right veggies, and your sandwich is going to be very tasty.
Also, when eating out, ask for a vegetable sandwich instead of the extra heavy meaty variety.
15. That’s a Wrap
You can make tons of great vegetable-rich entrees with wraps. Simply wrap veggies in a leaf or a gluten-free tortilla, and add your favorite sauces or spices.
Even the wrap itself can be a vegetable, like a collard leaf, a cabbage leaf, or even a lettuce leaf. Yum!
16. Make Veggies Available at All Meals
Another way to eat more vegetables is by simply making them available at all meals that you serve.
And yes, that means breakfast too. The key to eating more vegetables is to treat them as a central theme to all meals.
17. Have Sliced Veggies on Hand at All Times
We’re much more likely to reach for the veggies instead of the chips if they’re already in snack form. When you get home from a shopping trip, wash and cut your snacking vegetables and store them in the fridge for easy access.
Then either make your own delicious veggie dips or have a healthy alternative on hand for when the snacking strikes.
Read my list of healthy office snacks for more healthy snacking inspiration.
18. Make Veggie Salad Dressings and Dips
When you blend your own salad dressings, you can sneak more veggies into the dressing itself too.
Try blending avocado, cucumber, as well as sea vegetables and add some spices. Yum!
19. Eat Your Salad Before Your Main Meal
This ensures you get your veggies in before you get full.
Plus, a good salad before a meal will keep you from overeating foods that aren’t as good for you.
Last updated: September 27, 2024
