“National Eat Your Veggies Day” happens each year on June 17. To help you make the most of this nutritional celebration, here’s some advice from our registered dietitian on trying to incorporate more vegetables into your meals!
Most people don’t realize they’re not including nearly enough vegetables in their diet. On top of eating enough vegetables, it’s also important to realize that not all veggies are created equal.
We recommend filling half your plate with nutrient rich non-starchy vegetables in a range of colors. Non-starchy vegetables contain very little naturally occurring sugar and are rich in fiber, making them slow to digest. These nutrient-dense, colorful delights are packed with vitamins and minerals that are necessary for growth, restoration, and repair (metabolic processes that occur at the cellular level). They also have magnificent cancer fighting properties!
To help you kick-start things on “National Eat Your Veggies Day,” here are some of our favorite non-starchy vegetables:
- Spinach
- Red/Green/Yellow/Orange Peppers
- Squash
- Collard/Mustard/Turnip Greens
- Water Chestnut
- Bok Choy
- Carrots
- Beets
- Rhubarb
- Kale
- Lettuce (all salad greens)
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Leeks
- Asparagus
- Tomato
- Okra
- Alpha Sprouts
- Onion
- Artichokes
- Mushrooms
- Broccoli
- Radishes
- Green Beans
- Snow Peas
- Snap Peas
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cucumber
Everyone should eat a minimum of 6-8 servings of vegetables daily. If a half plate of vegetables at every meal is a hard way to measure your daily vegetable intake, consider this:
- 1/2 cup cooked vegetables = 1 serving
- 1 cup raw vegetables = 1 serving
Have a great “National Eat Your Veggies Day,” and don’t forget to include vegetables in your diet throughout every year!
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