5 Ways to Add More Vegetables (and fruits) To Your Diet.

We all know that it is important to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, and chances are that you need to increase your intake. Not many people really do get enough, especially when it comes to the vegetable part.

Fruit is typically sweeter, more enjoyable and more practical. For instance you can just grab and apple, orange and banana in the morning and throw it in your bag. Not so appetising or easy to do with brocolli, celery and capsicum.

So how can I add some more of this high fibre, nutritious, lean body food to my diet?

1. Get a good blender. Start with green tea (chilled) or water as your base and have at it. You can mix and match vegetables and fruit to get great flavours and a heap of nutrition. One blended shake like this could have more nutrition in it than the rest of your normal diet!
2. Saute it with onions. Just about anything tastes good when you saute it with onions in a pan. Add a little bit of your favorite flavored olive oil, some garlic or salt and add it to your chicken or beef.
3. Home made guacamole/salsa. Start with an avocado, some sauteed onion and tomato. Then add your favorite vegetables to make your very own signature dish. Once again serve it as a side to your chicken or beef, or you can use it as a healthy alternative to store bought dips.
4. Think fruit not grains for breakfast. Replace your favorite grain based breakfast cereal with your favorite fruit and go from there. Add some yogurt, mixed nuts or blend it with some cottage cheese. This also works well with berries!
5. Always carry fruit. It is a great idea to have a piece of fruit on stand by. This way it will be your first port of call in case you need a snack, or are going to be late for your next meal. No more running to the store for a chocolate bar or going to the take away for lunch, have this on stand by and you be able to keep the diet horrors at bay!

Let us know your favourite, most practival way of increasing vegetable or fruit intake.

Non Starchy Vegetables

Non starchy vegetables are something you will have read about in my posts here. But it occurred to me (well it hit me like a brick when one of my clients told me!) that I hadn’t detailed exactly what these vegetables are. To save you the time looking up every vegetable on the nutrient database, I have compiled a list of the most common non starchy vegetables for you.
And here’s the beauty of these little wonders, you can pretty much eat as much of these as you want. Did you ever hear of someone packing on the pounds from eating too much broccoli?!?

• Any leafy greens – ‘fancy’ lettuces (please don’t eat iceburg because it has no nutritional value either), spinach, swiss chard, etc.
• Any type of sprouts (bean sprouts, alfalfa, etc.)
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Bamboo Shoots
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage
• Capsicum
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Fennel
• Green Beans
• Hearty Greens – collards, mustard greens, kale, etc.
• Herbs – parsley, cilantro, basil, rosemary, thyme, etc.
• Leeks
• Mushrooms
• Onions
• Pumpkin
• Radishes
• Snow Peas
• Squash
• Tomatoes
• Turnips
• Zucchini

Lots of good food there, and plenty of options. Think summer salad, winter boiled vegetables, salsa etc. Remeber to try different combinations and different recipies. If there is something on the list that you haven’t tried, get out there and give it a go. You can’t not like something if you haven’t even tried it (haha, that’s the dad in me coming out!)

If you think vegetables have to be boring have a look here, and discover a heap of ways to spice things up.

Super Quick and Easy Fat Burning Beef Chili

Last year I made the chili to beat all chili’s! The problem was I miscalculated how much chili powder I needed to add to the mix. Great if you like this sort of thing super hot, but it made it inedible for the rest of the family!

This time I have opted for a more friendly version with a bit less, but just enough zing!

Ingredients

600 grams lean beef mince
750 gram can of kidney or mixed beans (give them a good wash)
1 medium onion chopped
1 medium tomato chopped
2 large carrots chopped
1/2 green , red and yellow capsicum chopped
2 cloves of garlic or equivalent crushed
750 mL V8 vegetable juice or equivalent
1/4 Cup cashew meal
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Go ahead and brown the mince with the onion and garlic and spices mixed through.
Put all the other ingredients into a large pot with a lid and add the mince mix when it has browned.
Bring the mix to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

This should make enough for 4 large or 6 medium serves. It keeps well for leftovers and freezes equally as well.

You can get creative and mix and match the vegetables, spices and juice that you use for varying results.

Give this a try and let me know what you think!

Eating the Rainbow

Want to boost your fat loss and your health? Then get some colours into your diet.

You want to be getting at least one item from each of the groups below on a daily basis.

To qualify, the food also needs to be an unprocessed, natural food. Sorry guys, you can’t just grab a box of Fruit Loops and call it a day!

Remember not to over do the starchy vegetables and fruit though.

Yellow/Orange

These foods contain carotenoids which have been shown to reduce the risk of developing cancer, lower the chance of heart attack and reduce age related macular degeneration.

* Yellow apples
* Apricots
* Beans
* Squash
* Cantaloupe
* Carrots
* Grapefruit
* Lemons
* Mangoes
* Nectarines
* Oranges
* Papayas
* Peaches
* Pears
* Yellow capsicum
* Pineapple
* Pumpkin
* Sweet corn
* Sweet potatoes

Green

Eat your greens. Your mom told you, so they must be good for you! The chlorophyll and leutin contained in these foods can help to keep your vision in top order. Broccoli for fighting cancer and spinach for massive forearms, green vegetables are the business.

* Apples
* Artichokes
* Asparagus
* Avocados
* Beans
* Broccoli
* Brussels sprouts
* Cabbage
* Celery
* Cucumbers
* Grapes
* Honeydew melon
* Kiwi
* Limes
* Green onions
* Peas
* Green capsicum
* Spinach
* Zucchini

Blue/Purple

This group contains the antioxidant rich anthocyanins. Protecting against cell damage they have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, stroke and heart disease. Blueberries may also help with improving your memory, but only if you remember to eat them!

* Beetroot
* Blackberries
* Blueberries
* Eggplant
* Figs
* Plums
* Prunes
* Grapes
* Raisins

Red

Here you will find both lycopene and anthocyanins.  Lycopene gives the red colour and may help reduce risk of several types of cancer, especially prostate cancer. To get the full benefit you should be looking to get some of it raw and some cooked.

* Red apples
* Red cabbage
* Cherries
* Cranberries
* Grapefruit
* Grapes
* Red capsicum
* Pomegranates
* Red Onion
* Radishes
* Raspberries
* Rhubarb
* Strawberries
* Tomatoes
* Watermelon

Grab a couple from each list, everyday, and you will be making a huge investment in yourself.

Did I miss your favourite food? Leave a comment below.

James