Eat Your Vegetables

The phrase actually means “do something good for you that you won’t like,” and it’s grossly unfair to vegetables. Many veggies — like peas, carrots, and green beans — are sweet, for one thing! They certainly are good for you, though: their water, fiber, and vitamin content make them a win-win-win choice from a nutrition standpoint — not to mention the sense of fullness we have when we eat them.

So how do we make eating them easier — and better?

— Keep vegetables in the house — you can’t eat what you don’t have

— Chopped vegetables make a great snack that travels well, and is easy to prepare in batches ahead of time to bring to work or school

— Chopped vegetables are great for salads, and they stay crunchy in the fridge for a few days to a week (skip the wilty lettuce, and a simple oil, vinegar, and herbs dressing marinates them for extra yum)

— Try a CSA box! Get in touch with local agriculture, get familiar with what’s in season, and try new vegetables

— Always have a few bags of frozen vegetables on hand — practically nothing is easier than frozen veggies in the microwave

— Learn a few basic cooking skills for different vegetables. Few things are grosser than mushy peas and grey beans (they’re supposed be green!)

I took this photo at Pike Place Market in 2005.

How do you keep enough vegetables in your food pattern?