Tips for adding veggies to your diet

It’s the one task that requires constant self-coaching, reminders, and if possible, subliminal messages: adding veggies to your diet. It seems simple enough, 2 ½ cups a day. However, one can easily fall off the bandwagon on this goal as produce is generally at the bottom of the comfort food list. Harvard Medical School recently posted a blog with 13 tips on how to add veggies into your daily routine. Here are just 5 of those tips for adding veggies to your diet.

1. Blend it!
Fruit and veggie smoothies are excellent ways to start your day! You can disguise green smoothies by adding pineapple, apple or bananas for sweeteners, or you can try a fruit smoothie with your favorite protein powder. A smoothie first thing in the morning will not only save you time, it will set the tone for a day of healthy choices.

2. Be sneaky!
That pasta sauce, your soup, stew, and even maybe even the occasional pizza slice.. All of your favorite foods can use a helping of spinach, garlic, onions, squash, grated carrots, mushrooms, broccoli or other healthy veggies. You can also pair your yogurt, cereal and oatmeal with fruit slices and pecans. Who doesn’t love bananas, strawberries and pecans?

3. Dip it!
Experiment with some of your favorite dips. Try dipping veggies in hummus, guacamole, bean dip and or maybe some light ranch dressing. Fruit can also be dipped into your favorite nut butter! Try peanut, almond, sunflower seed and cashew butter.

4. Drink it!
Look for vegetable juices at your natural food store and replace the soda! You can also try your juicing at home. Range from citrus juices, berry juices, or even veggie juices. Mix and match, find what you like.

5. Spread it!
And lastly, replace mayonnaise with avocado spread, hummus or pesto! Get creative.  Make a fun chipotle spread or even a garlic spread. Yum!

These are just a few ways to ensure veggies sneak their way into your daily life. Have fun with it!

For more tips for adding veggies into your diet, read the original article posted at the Harvard Health Blog.