One of my top nutritional principles is that the greater the diversity of plants in your diet, the better your health. There are many reasons for this. Plant polyphenols are naturally occurring compounds in plants that reduce your risk of chronic diseases. Various plant polyphenols help manage blood pressure levels, reduce chronic inflammation, help control blood sugar levels, may lower your risk of certain cancers, and help strengthen your immune system (source: Healthy Foods High in Polyphenols) . One of the most important ways to improve your health is to eat more vegetables.
Plants are essential for healthy digestion.
Plants are also food for our gut microbiome, which is essential to our digestion. The greater the diversity of plants in our diet, the healthier and more diverse our gut microbiome is. Dr. Will Bulsiewicz, in “Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome,” recommends consuming thirty different plants in a given week for optimal gut health.
Half of your plate should be fruits and vegetables.
So how do we go about doing this? When you plan your meals, ideally, half of your plate should be vegetables and fruits. Using that as a guideline can be much easier than counting servings. When planning your meals, if you find out that your plate needs more fresh vegetables, you can easily add a side vegetable or snack on fruit afterward.
Make small, consistent changes.
Remember that a key to habit change is slowly and naturally incorporating these changes in your life. If you find your vegetable consumption is far short of the ideal, don’t worry! That just means you have room for improvement. Starting where you’re at, give yourself a goal of making small, consistent changes. See how your body responds, and adjust accordingly.
Learn simple vegetable preparation.
For example, you may choose as a goal to add one additional side vegetable to your daily meals. You might find that cooked food is easier to digest than raw, so start with simply prepared vegetables that you already enjoy. Vegetables can be lightly steamed or stir-fried in water or a tiny amount of oil. My favorite way to prepare many vegetables is to lightly roast them with a light spray of oil and a sprinkling of salt, sometimes adding minced garlic or fresh herbs for flavor. I even roast them in my toaster oven when I don’t want to heat up my regular oven.
Also, feel free to use frozen vegetables. They are usually frozen at the peak of freshness and are just as healthy. If you don’t have prepared vegetables ready to go and need more veggies, heat up some frozen peas, broccoli, or whatever you like. Easy!
Batch cook for the week ahead.
It is helpful to batch-cook some of your vegetables. Roast a whole tray at once, then store them in glass containers for a couple of days for a quick way to add healthy foods to your meals or snacks. You can also steam a large amount at once for eating during the week. If they are already prepared, I am much more likely to add an extra serving of vegetables to a meal or even grab them for a snack. Keep a variety of healthy dips on hand. You can buy hummus at your grocery store or learn to make it as a dip for raw or lightly cooked vegetables. Having a sandwich or a bowl of soup for lunch? If your vegetables are already prepared, it’s easy to heat up a side dish of broccoli, zucchini, or whatever is on hand. You’ll easily hit your new healthy goals with these habits.
Eat your healthy greens.
Greens are some of the most nutritious foods you can eat and the simplest to prepare. You can lightly steam or stir fry them. My favorite way to prepare fresh greens is to lightly saute some minced garlic, add my freshly washed greens and a sprinkling of salt, and stir fry for a few minutes. For heartier greens like cabbage, add a few tablespoons of water or vegetable broth, and let them steam for a bit. A squeeze of fresh lemon adds even more plant goodness plus gives them a lovely, fresh taste. Don’t stick with the same greens! You might be familiar with spinach, kale, and cabbage, but have you tried escarole, bok choy, arugula, collard greens, or beet greens?
Add vegetables to your favorite meals.
One more way to add vegetables to your meals is to add spinach to any soup you make (even canned soups!) or to pasta sauce. You can find a creative way to add fresh produce to almost any meal you already make. If you have some roasted broccoli already prepared, top the pizza with it! Even if you pick up takeout, add a serving of veggies. Remember, we’re aiming for small, consistent changes. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by a total dietary overhaul, slowly change how you already eat. Eventually, you’ll look back and be surprised at how much you’ve improved.
Diversity is key.
Once you are familiar with cooking the basics, branch out and try something different. Even now, I still find vegetables I haven’t tried before. When grocery shopping, try picking up a vegetable you’re unfamiliar with or one you don’t make often. One of my favorite ways to increase the diversity of produce I eat is to join a farm share. Every week during the growing season (or whatever schedule your farm share provides), you will get farm fresh, possibly organic if that’s what your farmer offers, locally grown vegetables and fruits.
Have fun with it!
Now you are on your way! You’ve mastered preparing some basic vegetables; now it’s time to find fun new recipes online or in cookbooks. Once you’re comfortable with the changes you are making, challenge yourself. Keep track of the fruits and veggies you eat weekly, and see how many different types you can include. Get your creative juices flowing, make a game of it, and have fun with it. Can you get more diversity this week than last? Get your partner in on the game! A simple and beautifully prepared meal with fresh garden vegetables is certainly Instagram-worthy. Show off your new skills!
I hope I have shown you that you can make small but consistent changes that add up over time. Go slow, and see how your body responds. Sometimes it takes time to adjust to new habits. Remember to speak with your doctor about any concerns or to check in about significant dietary changes.
We have only scratched the surface here of the health benefits that plants provide. It’s one of my favorite topics, so stay tuned to this space to learn even more! I’ve given you some of the basics of vegetable preparation, but you can easily find more recipes online, and I’ll also give you more info in future posts. I hope that you get as excited about this as I am.
I am here to support you.
If you need additional support, help with goal setting, habit change, meal preparation and recipe ideas, accountability, and somebody cheering you on, reach out to me on my Contact page for a free consultation on how I can help you meet your goals.
You’ve got this! I am on your side, and you are the plant-forward boss!