If we ate more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods, we would have lost more weight, clean out our arteries, balance our blood glucose and slash our health costs at a stroke.
But how do we get at least seven or more daily servings of vegetables and fruits that health experts recommend? Well, here are 21 creative food ideas on how you can do it!
1. GO VEGETARIAN ONCE A WEEK
Simply replace your usual meat or fish portion with a vegetable serving. Or invest in a good cookbook and dabble in the world of vegetarian cooking, in which recipes are developed specifically to make a filling, robust meal out of vegetables and whole grains.
2. USE VEGETABLES AS SAUCES
How puréed roasted red capsicums seasoned with her bs and a bit of lemon juice, then drizzled over fish, sounds to you – gorgeous right?
Or why not puree butternut pumpkin with carrots, grated ginger and a bit of brown sugar for a delicious topping for chicken or turkey?
So you see, cooked vegetables are easily converted into sauces. It just takes a little ingenuity and a blender.
3. ROAST YOUR VEGETABLES
Cut hearty root vegetables such as parsnips, turnips, carrots, orange sweet potato (kumara) and onions into 3cm chunks and arrange in a single layer on a baking tray.
Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and fresh or dried herbs.
Roast in the oven at 230°C until soft, for about 45 minutes, turning once.
4. PURÉE VEGETABLES INTO SOUP
Potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli-just about any cooked (or leftover) vegetable can be made into a creamy, comforting soup.
Try this simple recipe :
1. In a medium saucepan, sauté 160g of finely chopped onion in 1 tablespoon of olive or canola oil until tender.
2. Combine the onion in a blender or food processor with cooked vegetables and purée the mixture until smooth.
3. Return the purée to the saucepan and thin it with stock or low-fat milk.
4. Simmer and season to taste.
5. INCORPORATE SALSA LIBERALLY
Firstly, mix a large quantity of home-made or shop- bought tomato salsa with chopped raw vegetables such as yellow capsicum and zucchini.
Then, put salsa on everything, for example, you can use baked potatoes, rice, chicken breasts, sandwiches, eggs or even steak.
That’s right, salsa sauce is not just for tortilla chips as it’s so tasty and healthy that it can be used anytime and anywhere.
6. START YOUR MAIN MEAL WITH A MIXED GREEN SALAD
Not only will it help you to eat more vegetables, but there’ll be just a bit less room for the higher kilojoule items that follow.
7. SERVE SALAD AS MAIN COURSE
A salade niçoise comes to mind: mixed greens, steamed green beans, boiled new potatoes, sliced hard-boiled egg and tuna drizzled with vinaigrette.
8. PACK YOUR PASTA SAUCE WITH VEGETABLES
Pour a jar of low-salt prepared sauce in a pan and add green beans, peas, sweet corn, capsicum, mushrooms, tomatoes and more.
Like it chunky? Cut them into big pieces.
Like it fine i.e ‘don’t want to know they’re there?’ Grate or pure them with a bit of sauce in the blender before adding to the rest of the sauce.
9. DRINK V8 OR TOMATO JUICE
Although they are higher in salt, vegetable juices provide the nutrition of a vegetable serving. However do note that no matter how much you drink, a vegetable juice drink still counts as only one portion.
10. REPLACE CHOCOLATE WITH RAISINS
Every time you want a clrocolate bar, eat a small box of raisins instead. Raisins are sweet and healthy, and small boxes contain just the right amount to fulfil the need for a sweet treat.
11. SUBSTITUTE FRUIT SORBET FOR ICE CREAM
Do you know that one scoop of fruit sorbet contains up to one serving of fruit?
12. SPICE UP SHOP-BOUGHT SALSAS WITH FRUIT
You can enhanced off the shelf supermarket salsa with fruits.
Or better still, make your own fruit-based salsas with pineapple, mango or pawpaw. Mix with onions, ginger garlic, some mint or coriander, and sprinkle on a few dried red chilli flakes for a bit of a kick.
13. MAKE A BREAKFAST ‘SLUSHIE’
Put 160g of fresh fruit, 125ml of fruit juice and a handful of ice cubes into a blender and liquidise. That will give you two servings of fruit to start the day.
If you’d prefer a creamier smoothie, add 125ml of plain fat-free yogurt.
14. HAVE A BOWL OF FRUIT CLOSE AT HAND
Whether you are in an office, working at home, relaxing or doing household chores, keep a bowl of fruit near you at all times.
It should contain 5 to 8 pieces of fresh fruit, such as bananas, oranges, apples, grapes or plums. Most fruit is fine left at room temperature for 3 or 4 days.
15. KEEP CUBED OR SLICED MELON IN A CONTAINER IN THE FRIDGE
Use as a first course before dinner where sliced melons would be wrapped with prosciutto for a starter.
For breakfast, sliced melons can be mixed with cottage
Or just have a small bowl for a snack.
You can even consider puréeing it for a quick sauce over fish!
16. CARRY DRIED FRUITS WITH YOU
Dried fruits are easily portable and have a long shelf life. Take them to work, on shopping trips, or even on holiday.
Raisins and prunes are classic choices. Let’s not also forget dried cranberries and blueberries, which are high in phytonutrients, or dried apricots, which are full of beta-carotene.
Other great choices include dates and dried figs, peaches, pears and bananas.
17. FINISH YOUR DINNER WITH FRUIT
A slice of watermelon, a peach, a bowl of blueberries – they’re a pleasantly delicious ending to a meal, and are so much healthier than biscuits or cake.
Or try sophisticated desserts such as chocolate-covered strawberries, poached pears in red wine, or frozen fresh iet raspberries.
18. TAKE FRUIT WITH YOU ON LONG CAR JOURNEYS
Once you are on the highway and cruising along, an apple or a mandarin tastes great and helps to break the monotony of driving.
19. MIX FRUITS IN WITH YOUR SALAD
A handful of raisins, a diced apple, some chopped strawberries, some fresh or dried mango or some sliced kiwi fruit all make tasty additions to the typical tossed salad.
20. GRILL YOUR VEGETABLES
Capsicum, zucchini, asparagus, onions, eggplant, tomatoes, these all taste wonderful when grilled.
Generally, all you need to do is :
- coat them with olive oil and put them under a hot grill.
- turn every few minutes
- remove when they start to soften.
or put chunks on a skewer and turn frequently.
21. KEEP AN APPLE IN YOUR POCKET WHEN YOU GO FOR A WALK
It’s so simple, who would have though of it ya? Plus, the apple will be your simple (but healthy) reward for getting to the midpoint of your chosen route.