Any veggie or 100% vegetable juice counts as a member of the
Vegetable Group. Vegetables may be eaten in several ways like raw or cooked, fresh,
frozen, canned, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, or mashed. Vegetables are
organized into five subgroups, based on their nutrient content. These groups
include dark green veggies, starchy veggies, red and orange veggies, beans and
peas, and other veggies. Examples of dark veggies are broccoli, spinach, and
kale. Some examples of starchy veggies are corn, water chestnuts, and potatoes.
Carrots and sweet potatoes are examples of the red and orange veggies. Navy
beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, and kidney beans obviously belong to the
beans and peas group. The other group includes lots of other vegetables such as
asparagus, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and onions. However, I don’t fully
agree with the vegetables that are all listed on the website. Some of the
vegetables listed have seeds in them and that clearly makes them a fruit
according to my biology teacher. Again
there is a chart to help you find out how many cups of veggies you need a day. According to this chart, women ages 19-30 need
two and a half cups a day and men the same age range need three cups daily.
Twelve baby carrots are equal to one cup, one large ear of corn (8” to 9” long)
counts as a cup, and one baked potato (2½" to 3" diameter) also
counts as one cup of veggies.
I think that this is the hardest food group for me because I
usually don’t buy veggies. I get my veggies when I eat salad, but the cafeteria
doesn’t provide many options for this food group other than salads. Choose My
Plate also gives easy tips to incorporate veggies into your diet. Here are just
a few. Try adding more veggies to salads by adding baby carrots, shredded red
cabbage, or spinach leaves. I love salad with these veggies in them and you can
buy pre-made salads with these in most grocery stores. Buy fresh vegetables in
season because they cost less and are likely to be at their peak flavor. My
family usually buys corn in the summer because it is in season and very cheap. Stock
up on frozen vegetables that you can just pop in the microwave for a few
minutes. Order a veggie pizza with onions, mushrooms, and fruit like tomatoes,
peppers, and olives. That is a great way to get both fruits and veggies. Grill
vegetable kabobs as part of a barbecue meal. Try broccoli, mushrooms, corn, and
onions.
All of this information was provided by Choose My Plate.
I am not a big vegetable person. I think the only kind I do like is lettuce, corn and cucumbers. I try to like them, but I just can't do it! Lol
ReplyDeleteA lot of people struggle to eat fruit and veggies. I hope that some of the tips will help you sneak them into your diet.
ReplyDeleteI have the exact same problem Kara! My veggies always come from salads as well. Or when I make a sandwich. When I make salads I'll use spinach and pack in varieties cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, corn, peas, etc. But I generally don't eat those things by themselves. I need to work on that!
ReplyDeleteYes, I always pack in veggies on my salad. I need to stock up on some microwavable veggies.
ReplyDeleteI was raised on a farm so vegetables were a part of every meal. Now with that said I do not like every vegetable. And I'm strange because I do not care for peas by themselves but LOVE them in say vegetable soup. So for me it's also how they are prepared. Now that I own my own home and make dinner I still try to always have a vegetable on the table. I feel like my meal is incomplete with it!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad veggies are big part of your diet Jennifer. I wish their were more options on campus for vegetables.
ReplyDelete