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Fresh focus is a podcast delivering bites of nutrition information to veterans and their family between visits. Whether you are busy with a family, retired, or more isolated, you can stay connected for you. Dietitians from the Marion VA Health Care System will deliver evidenced based, consistent information to take on today's hot topics while promoting positive health outcomes.
The Department of Veterans Affairs does not endorse or officially sanction any entities that may be discussed in this podcast, nor any media, products or services they may provide.
Fresh Focus Podcast Episode #81
Host: Beth Blair, RDN
Title: Snacking with Veggies First
Eat your vegetables first, yes you did hear me correctly and hopefully you are still listening to me haha . I’m Beth, with Fresh Focus and on this episode we are going to talk about the top 5 ways to add in vegetables as snacks.
First let’s review what exactly a serving of vegetables is… One serving of vegetables is about ½ cup of cooked veggies or 1 cup of raw vegetables.
The dietary guidelines for Americans recommends we get 2.5 cups of vegetables per day so if you aren’t getting that many servings each day let’s start with that goal in mind. So what does that look like and how can we get that many servings?
But first…..lets talk about why vegetables are important in the first place.
You may have heard the saying “eat the colors of the rainbow”. That is because of phytonutrients.
Phyto actually means plant….. plant nutrients.
phytonutrients are beneficial nutrients founds in plant foods like vegetables.
Phytonutrients are responsible for the colors of our fruits and vegetables, so different colors can mean different phytonutrients. Phytonutrients can have many important proprieties such anti-inflammatory effects that help to reduce pain and inflammation. Phytonutrients can also have antioxidant properties that reduce our risk for some forms of cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and more. Phytonutrients can also help our brain, heart, skin, eyes …. well basically everything from our head to toes. We need vegetables and plants!
Vegetables also provide us with fiber. If you aren’t getting the recommended daily grams of fiber adding in a few more vegetable servings can assist us in reaching our daily fiber goal too. Go back to listen to Episode 22 with Tori who has great info on adding in fiber, or go all the way back to episode 2 where Lauren talked all about filling ½ our plate with vegetables. Vegetables especially non starchy veggies play a vital role in keeping us healthy and happy!
Now that we know a few reasons why vegetables are important, lets talk about how we can add more into our daily routine and since this series is all about snacks and what better way to add vegetables than to add veggies as a snack!
# 1 Eat your vegetables first that is a great way to help you reach your veggie goal for the day.
And to do that is to Think of vegetables first--- ok so if you don’t feel like waking up putting your feet on the floor and grabbing a stalk of celery or a handful of broccoli you are NOT alone and that isn’t what I’m talking about….. although you could totally do that if you wanted to!
Think about your morning… are you getting any kind of veggie in….. You could always add some veggies to breakfast maybe a delicious vegetables omelet or frittata.
And Shifting the focus on snacks..…. If you typically have a snack after getting to work or just at some point mid-morning, think about adding a vegetable in there too. Trying a mid morning snack of cottage cheese and tomatoes or a quiche bite you can heat up when you get to work or try delicious bell peppers with cream cheese especially if you sprinkle a little everything bagel seasoning on them they are super yummy!
#2 try convenient and easy ones - when you purchase raw fresh vegetables such as baby carrots or sugar snap peas, you can throw them in individual serving or snack sized baggies and pair with your favorite dip and be out the door in 30 seconds.
Try making your own dip with yogurt too! Greek-yogurt based dips are great combo some protein, burst of flavor, and creamy texture. (Mix plain, Greek yogurt with seasonings like onion or garlic powder, celery seed, pepper, dill, basil, or turmeric).
When you think about adding in vegetables think about at least 3 different ways you can utilize so they don’t end up in the back of the refrigerator, lonely and forgotten. We want to have a plan to use up what we buy for example if your grocery shopping list includes, zucchini, carrots cucumber, and bag of radishes.
Plan to have carrots and cucumbers with a dill dip for one snack
and shredded carrots and radishes as a salad topping
and try roasting zucchini chunks or making zucchini chips!
#3 Bring life into a sandwich or wrap with veggies! For some of you that have listened to me before have heard me say this but please Don’t forget to add a variety of veggies like sprouts, onoins, spinach, tomatoes, sliced carrots, or peppers of any kind to a sandwich or wrap. That’s my #3 way….. Don’t just have a boring sandwich, jazz it up add flavor add variety and crunch and it’s a delicious way to add veggies. You could always plan to have a ½ of a veggie wrap for a late afternoon snack!
#4 Go slow If you or someone in your family doesn’t love vegetables try experimenting with mixing cooked,chopped or pureed veggies in soups and dishes like lasagna, macaroni and cheese roasted potatoes, any rice dish you can also add in any veggie to meatballs or meatloaf or hamburger pattties as well! Or try dried veggies in place of crunch croutons. If vegetables are not your thing, please do not shy away. Be open to trying several times and several ways! Try different ways of cooking the same vegetable. Try roasting or steaming your vegetables vs. eating them raw.
Honestly If you don’t feel like eating veggies try drinking them! One of my all-time favorite snacks is a smoothie!!! Add green, leafy vegetables like kale or spinach to your smoothies. Try this recipe for the Peanut Butter Dream smoothie for a delicious snack: 1 ripe banana, ½ cup milk, 1 Tbsp creamy peanut butter, ½ Tbsp cocoa powder, ½ cup baby spinach leaves. If you have a blender you can create and experiment with all kinds of items…. I like to use frozen veggies and fruits its easier and you use less ice in the blender so it can be a super quick and easy way to blend and go! The 3 step easy way to smoothies is choose a base do you want some water or milk or milk alternative usually ½ cup of liquid, add 1 cup of fruit and ½-1 cup of vegetable of choice then you can always get fancy with adding in more fiber and healthy fat and protein or adding in a punch of spice with ginger or cinnamon or even cayenne pepper! Listen to your taste buds you may create your all time favorite smoothie and it could be a hit with the entire family. You can also use some of the leftover smoothie mixture and create your own popsicles or freeze in ice cube trays to use in other smoothies!
Last but not least #5 way is to Expand your palate--Each week or month try a new vegetable! Maybe this month try jicama, turnips, eggplant, kale, yams, bamboo shoots, collard greens, parsnips, okra, water chestnuts, and any other vegetable that is ‘new’ to you. Look for in season, maybe look around a farmers market in your area or look at what’s new to you in the produce section of your local grocery store!
Thank you for once again tuning in to the Fresh Focus podcast. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review.
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