10 tips to help you eat more vegetables
Add more vegetables to your day1. Discover fast ways to cook.Cook fresh or frozen vegetables in the microwave for a quick and easy dish to add to any meal. Steam green beans, carrots, or broccoli in a bowl with a small amount of water in the microwave for a quick side dish.2. Be ahead of the game.Cut up a batch of bell peppers, carrots, or broccoli. Pre-package them to use when time is limited. You can enjoy them on a salad, with a hummus dip, or in a veggie wrap.3. Choose vegetables rich in color.Brighten your plate with vegetables that are red, orange, or dark green. They are full of vitamins and minerals. Try acorn squash, cherry tomatoes, sweet potatoes, or collard greens. They not only taste great but also are good for you, too.4. Check the freezer aisle.Frozen vegetables are quick and easy to use and are just as nutritious as fresh veggies. Try adding frozen vegetables, such as corn, peas, green beans, or spinach to your favorite dish. Look for frozen vegetables without added sauces, gravies, butter, or cream.5. Stock up on veggies.Canned vegetables are a great addition to any meal, so keep on hand canned tomatoes, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, mushrooms, and beets. Select those labeled as “reduced sodium,” “low sodium,” or “no salt added.”6. Make your garden salad glow with color.Brighten your salad by using colorful vegetables such as black beans, sliced red bell peppers, shredded radishes, chopped red cabbage, carrots, or watercress. Your salad will not only look good, but taste good, too.7. Sip on some vegetable soup.Heat it and eat it. Try tomato, butternut squash, or garden vegetable soup. Look for reduced or low sodium soups. Make your own soups with a low-sodium broth and your favorite vegetables.8. While you’re out.If dinner is away from home, no need to worry. When ordering, ask for an extra side of vegetables or side salad instead of the typical fried side dish. Ask for toppings and dressings on the side.9. Savor the flavor of seasonal vegetables.Buy vegetables that are in season for maximum flavor at a lower cost. Check your local supermarket specials for the best-in-season buys. Or visit your local farmer’s market.10. Try something new.Choose a new vegetable that you’ve never tried before find recipes online at www.WhatsCooking.fns.usda.gov.Source: United States Department of Agriculture. Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.
Four-year-old Owen Culberson's hand shot in the air when a registered dietitian asked him to name a food group.
Then he answered, "Chocolate milk."
After a few laughs, Laurie McGuire, of Dynamic Dietetics, told him he wasn't really wrong.
Chocolate milk represents dairy, which is included in the five food groups.
McGuire and other local dietitians met with Owen and families to help them learn about healthy food choices. Their programs were presented by Subway in recognition of National World Food Day on Oct. 16.
World Food Day represents a national effort to make sure everyone has access to healthy food.
The dietitians met with families in Dalton, Cleveland and Chattanooga and gave tips to help them eat more healthy.
Then youth visiting the restaurants got hands-on experience with choosing healthy foods by making their own sandwiches.
"It's so important because so many families now are eating meals away from home, and a lot of times that includes a soda and a hamburger, and they forget that there are healthy options," said McGuire.
Share the Color was the theme of the event.
"Remember what we talked about," said McGuire. "Share the color. So now you have to tell your friends what you learned."
Fruits and vegetables have lots of colors, explained McGuire.
Other food groups include grains, protein and dairy.
After they discussed the food groups, an adult carried a large tray of vegetables displaying a variety of colors to the table.
The tray included green lettuce, spinach and pickles. Red onions sat in one corner and tomatoes in the other. And there were black olives.
Owen and his older brother, Noah, 7, used the veggies as toppings and made their own turkey and cheese sandwiches.
"Remember what you put on your plate you have to eat," said McGuire.
Emily Culberson brought her children to the Cleveland Subway after seeing a Share the Color advertisement on a home-schooling website.
"This made the idea of nutrition more hands-on for my kids," said Culberson. "They were able to hear from someone besides me about how important it is to make nutritional choices. And then the hands-on element of it will help cement in their minds a memory they can draw on and continue to make wise food choices."
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.