Adding more vegetables to your diet in six easy steps

Adding more vegetables to your diet can be done simply and it doesn’t have to be boring. Check out our guide here.

Looking for a way to get the recommended five serves of vegetables and two serves of fruit a day to help set you up for a balanced, healthy diet? Try our tips for upping your fruit and veg intake without even trying.

Increase your vegetables by adding them into your breakfast routine.

1. Start your day with veg

Having vegetables as part of your breakfast is not only a great way to kick start your day, it also helps to get you well on your way to five a day. Why not try an omelette with spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms or a breakfast salad with mixed lettuce, sliced avocado, diced tomato and a handful of sunflower seeds?

2. Drink smart

It can be difficult to get all your daily fruit and veg requirements through meals alone. An easy way to top up your daily fruit and veg intake, add some extra vitamins to your diet and save time is to have some pre-made juices on hand that contain no added sugar. V8 Fruit and Veg Juice has a serve of fruit and a serve of vegetables in every glass, so not only do you know you’re getting a nutrient hit, but you can save yourself the time and mess of creating your own juice at home.

Try replacing crackers with carrot sticks.

3. Go raw

Having snacks prepared in advance to take to work or keep in your bag for when you’re out and about is a great way to save money and prevent you reaching for the biscuits when hunger hits. Strips of carrots, zucchini, capsicum and celery are all great choices for easy, between-meal snacks. Serve them with hummus dip or mashed avocado for an extra protein boost.

4. Keep it cool

Fill ice block moulds with a fruit and veg juice like V8, and freeze overnight. These make a refreshing treat on a hot summer’s day for both little and big kids! They have all the goodness of fruit and vegetables and, unlike most traditional ice blocks, they don’t contain added sugar, artificial colours or flavours.

5. Pimp up your avocado toast

Mashed avocado on bread? You can do better than that. Load up your avocado toast with feta cheese, asparagus and fresh herbs. Or try topping your toast with other veg combinations, such as thick slices of juicy tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil, or roasted pumpkin, capsicum and a handful of sunflower seeds.

Frozen or fresh, vegetables are always delicious additions to meals.

6. Don’t forget the frozen vegetables

Don’t overlook the humble frozen vegie. They’re often frozen right at the farm, picked at their peak, and certain vegetables (peas, especially) taste great from the freezer. And they are always good for quick-cook dinners like soups, stir-fries, and pasta.

For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.

Originally published as Adding more vegetables to your diet in six easy steps