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Eat Vegetables - Tips 1

At meals:

• Plan some meals around a vegetable main dish, such as a vegetable stir-fry or soup. Then add other foods to complement it.
• Try a main dish salad for lunch. Go light on the salad dressing.
• Include a green salad with your dinner every night.
• Shred carrots or zucchini into meatloaf, casseroles, quick breads, and muffins.
• Include chopped vegetables in pasta sauce or lasagna.
• Order a veggie pizza with toppings like mushrooms, green peppers, and onions, and ask for extra veggies.
• Use pureed, cooked vegetables such as potatoes to thicken stews, soups and gravies. These add flavor, nutrients, and texture.
• Grill vegetable kabobs as part of a barbecue meal. Try tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, and onions.

In general:

• Buy fresh vegetables in season. They cost less and are likely to be at their peak flavor.
• Stock up on frozen vegetables for quick and easy cooking in the microwave.
• Buy vegetables that are easy to prepare. Pick up pre-washed bags of salad greens and add baby carrots or grape tomatoes for a salad in minutes. Buy packages of veggies such as baby carrots or celery sticks for quick snacks.
• Use a microwave to quickly “zap” vegetables. White or sweet potatoes can be baked quickly this way.
• Vary your veggie choices to keep meals interesting.
• Try crunchy vegetables, raw or lightly steamed.

For the best nutritional value:

• Select vegetables with more potassium often, such as sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash, spinach, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas.
• Sauces or seasonings can add calories, fat, and sodium to vegetables. Use the Vegetable Nutrition Facts label to compare the calories and % Daily Value for fat and sodium in plain and seasoned vegetables.
• Prepare more foods from fresh ingredients to lower sodium intake. Most sodium in the food supply comes from packaged or processed foods.
• Buy canned vegetables labeled “no salt added.” If you want to add a little salt it will likely be less than the amount in the regular canned product.

Source: USDA, MyPyramid.gov