Eat Your Way Right Habit 3: Eat Your Vegetables!

Do you hear that tone, like it was coming from mom?

Unfortunately way too many of us have memories of soggy green beans and, well come to think of it that’s all I really remember. Some sort of soggy vegetable from a can that tasted awful. Many of us are still hanging on to those nasty memories as an excuse to not eat vegetables to this day. Cut it out!

Now I am not blaming mom, because in those days, particularly in cold states like NH, most veggies seemed to come from a can. There wasn’t the plethora of fresh options, most people didn’t have a garden, and farmers markets were nowhere in sight.

We have no such excuses.

In fact even when fresh isn’t available frozen vegetables are extremely high quality, inexpensive and can taste really, really good.  Last night for dinner Nancy made a favorite, and it is super easy. A bag of frozen mixed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots), a little salt, pepper and olive oil. Mix it all together and roast in a 350 oven for 45 minutes to an hour. The vegetables natural sugars start to caramelize – delicious!

Vegetables and Your Health

“Eating higher levels of veggies and fruits are associated with a lower incidence of:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Colon, prostate, cervical, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, thyroid, and breast cancer
• High blood cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Obesity
• Stroke
• Osteoporosis
• and a lot more that aren’t on this list…” – Dr. John Berardi
  

There is no magic pill, potion, or lotion that is going to do all that, PLUS you get to try an amazing variety of incredible tastes from all over the world – right from your very own kitchen!

Did You Know? Vegetables (and fruits) provide an alkaline load to the blood. Both proteins and grains present acid loads. Too much acid can cause loss of bone strength and muscle mass – not cool. Osteoporosis is not just about calcium. Stay balanced by getting enough veggies.

The Habit

Our goal in week 3 is to get at least 2 servings of vegetables every time we eat. 1 counts, but at least 2 is way gooder! 🙂

What’s a serving?

• 1/2 cup raw chopped veggies
• 1 cup raw leafy vegetables

Here’s are some other (non-measuring cup) examples:

• 5 broccoli florets
• 10 baby carrots
• 1 tomato
• 4 slices of onion
• 1 cup of leafy greens (spring mix)
• 15 cherry tomatoes
• 0.5 bell pepper
• 1 cup of spinach

“But” you whine “I don’t like any of those!”

Lucky for you there are hundreds of vegetables in this great big wide world. Check out this list.

A Big Bonus

And there is even more good news.

Filling up on those cancer fighting, free radical busting, vitamin and fiber packed veggies help you stay full longer.

Check this cool PN knowledge bomb out:

Did you catch that?

Eating high calorie foods actually makes you hungrier, sooner. And what do you grab? More high calorie foods. Getting those veggies in helps stop the cravings and the binges. Win-Win!

How to keep your score chart in week 3

Every time you eat a meal that contains a veggie, you get your “x” for Habit 3. Couldn’t be much easier than that.

Let us know if you have any questions, then keep on Making It Happen!