8 ways to include more vegetables into your day

We all know that we should eat more vegetables. Its irrefutable that they are good for us and that diets high in vegetables are protective again a huge range of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. However, to be honest, sometimes they are hard to eat...  especially when they're served boiled and mushy... Here are 8 ways that can help you include more vegetables into your day. Not only will you be giving your body lots of good nutrition, it'll also mean you're eating less of the 'junk' stuff and that's always a good thing.


1. Vegetable sticks
Cut up carrots, celery, red capsicum and dip them in hummus, low fat cream cheese or low fat natural yoghurt with herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice for a tasty afternoon snack. The great thing about it is it takes ages to eat, so its a good choice if you're bored!

2. You can eat them for breakfast
I know that we freak out when we think of anything other than toast or cereal for breakfast, but try grilled tomato, avocado and  fried mushrooms on wholemeal toast. Or wilted spinach with your eggs Benedick.

3. Have a salad side dish
When ever I go out to eat I always ask for a side garden salad. It helps feel me up which reduces the temptation to over eat and I'm increasing the nutritional value of my meal!

4. Make dinner colourful
Vegetables come in so many different colours and textures! I love to have fun with making my salad or stir fry as colourful as possible. Green: rocket, cucumber, broccoli; Yellow: capsicum, squash; Red: tomatoes, capsicum; Purple: Spanish onion, beetroot or coral lettuce, Orange: sweet potato or carrot. This is just scratching the surface of vegetable art possibilities!

5. Grate them into meals
When I make certain pasta sauces, to make them go a little further and give it a nutritional boost, I like to grate in vegetables such as carrot, zucchini and eggplant. The kids will never know!

6. Try soups, stews and slow cooker recipes
These are a great way of getting more vegetables into you. Soups, stews and the like are usually chocked full of goodness and taste great. Not to mention they make you feel all warm and satisfied on a chilly winter's night. My favourite website for recipes is www.taste.com.au

7. Make your own pasta sauce
Instead of buying a jar, spend some time on the weekend making your own sauces that you can freeze and use whenever you need. Pack it full of tasty onions, garlic, tomatoes, basil and parsley. Whatever you like. The best thing about this is that it contains no preservatives of flavourings, is low in salt and it'll cost half as much!

8. Buff out your sandwich
You are making a sandwich anyway so why not spend a couple of extra minutes, grating in some carrot, slicing up some tomato and cucumber and throwing on some lettuce. If I have left over salad from a BBQ or other function, I like to make a sandwich out of it the next day. Waste not, want not!

What do you do to eat more vegetables?

9 Ways to Combat the Mid Afternoon Binge

Do you ever get to about four in the afternoon and feel tired, hungry and just generally low? Most of the time its because of poor eating habits earlier in the day that we find ourselves craving something sweet and fast! Here are 9 ways you can combat the urge to have an afternoon binge and pick up your energy levels all at the same time.

1. Snack Right
You feel hungry at four in the afternoon because its actually time to eat again. Depending on when you ate for lunch, its generally asking too much to not have something to eat until dinner time.  Low-fat yoghurts, a tin of flavoured tuna, a small handful of raw nuts, low fat cheese on a few rice crackers would all be low kilojoule choices that will curb your hunger until dinner time.

2. Have Protein at Lunch
A lot of the time people feel low in the afternoon because they have not had a substantial lunch. Protein (eggs, chicken, fish, meat, ham, yoghurt, cheese, tofu etc) that is low in fat will help you feel fuller for longer and give your body the energy and nutrition it needs to do all the things it has to do through out the day.

3. Don't be afraid of Carbohydrates
The most important thing to remember here is the type. Refined carbohydrates (sugar, processed and manufactured foods) contain very little fibre. This makes them energy dense and we easily overeat them, and too much of most things is usually bad. Unrefined carbohydrates (wholegrain, wholemeal etc) contain plenty of fibre and fill you up much quicker. Choose wholemeal bread, pasta and rice, high fibre breakfast cereals, beans, legumes, lentils, fruits and vegetables.

4. Eat Breakfast
Give your body the fuel that it needs to function through out the day. If you don't feed yourself properly you'll naturally feel sluggish in the afternoon because your body has nothing substantial to run on. Resist the urge to walk out the door without a substantial breakfast. See my previous post What's For Breakfast? 5 Fast, Easy and Nutritious Ideas.

5. Drink Lots of Water
Dehydration is a major cause of lethargy. Don't trust your thirst signals, studies have shown this to be an inaccurate way of judging your hydration levels. You want to look for pale yellow urine and you  should be drinking at least 1 cup of water every hour you are awake. More if you are very active or breastfeeding.

6. Get Your Sneakers Out
It seems contradictory to say that exercising makes you feel more energetic, because you are expending energy to exercise, but its true. Physical activity makes you feel good, physically, emotionally and mentally. If you are not a regular exerciser, start out slow, just aim for one session a week. Don't increase this goal until you have mastered it as part of your weekly routine. Maybe a month or so later add in a second weekly session and so on. Baby steps is the best way of creating long lasting habits.

7. Check Your Iron Levels
Women of child bearing age can be at risk of iron deficiency which can cause fatigue. Have your iron levels checked by your doctor and see an Accredited Practicing Dietitian or Registered Nutritionist to help you improve your iron status if it is poor. You can read my post on 3 Steps to Decrease Your Risk of Iron Deficiency for more information.

8. You Don't Need a Stress Supplement
There are plenty of supplements on the market that claim to help with picking up your energy levels and people may or may not tell you that they feel better when taking them. The truth is, most of these products are just a cocktail of B Vitamins. These nutrients have a range of functions within the body, one of the most well known ones is in the breakdown of carbohydrates for energy. This might sound like taking these vitamins is a good thing, but in our culture the risk of any vitamin B deficiency is very rare as they are abundant in our food supply. Taking more than you need wont make you feel any better. You can read my post series on supplements for more information.

9. Caffeine is OK
Caffeine is a stimulant and a great way to pick up your energy levels. Nothing like a warm skim milk cappuccino to pick you up in the late afternoon. Not only is caffeine a stimulant it is also an appetite suppressant and can keep you in control of the munchies until dinner time. Just be mindful that too much of anything is not good and that caffeine is addictive. Any more that 4 caffeinated drinks a day is too much. Also stay clear of high energy drinks and soft drink as these contain too much sugar.

What things do you do throughout the day to help combat your afternoon slump? I'd love to hear your thoughts.