A diet full of produce is a diet full of nutrients such as vitamins, fibre, and minerals. These nutrients are essential for your body to thrive.
Eating more fruits and veggies doesn't have to be a one dimensional or plain - get excited! We're here to show you fun, creative ways to sneak in more amazing whole foods. These hacks are small but effective - and your body will thank you for that little extra effort!
1. Blend, blend, blend! Get creative with adding leafy greens such as spinach to soups, smoothies, and sauces. Spinach is especially great because it is packed with nutrients but has a mild, often undetectable taste in smoothies. Score!
2. Add leftovers to ice cube trays. Leftover herbs? Don't let them go to waste! Add them to an ice cube tray with olive oil, then pop them in your pan the next time you cook. Boom - bonus flavour and goodness!
This is also a great hack to use with fruit - especially with berries. Blend up those less than perfect berries or fruits you have leftover with a bit of water, freeze in a popsicle mold or tupperware with a popsicle stick and boom - easy healthy frozen treats! (We love sneaking in some carrots here too)
3. Spiralize. Veggies can make excellent noodles with the help of a spiralizer. Try it out with zucchini, butternut squash, beets, carrots, and even sweet potato. An extra perk: the act of spiralizing can take some work depending on your tools - get ready for a mini arm workout!
4. Make veggies the star of your plate. Aim to fill half of your plate full of veggies. Try adding a tahini drizzle or tasty dip (we love dairy-free mayo mixed with garlic or hot sauce) for that extra yum factor!
5. Set yourself up for snacking success. Pre-cut your favourite crunchy veggies such as carrots and celery, then dump them in a mason jar with some water to keep fresh. When a snack attack strikes, the veggies will be ready to go - just add hummus for dipping!
6. Boost your favourite baked goods. If carrot cake is any example, veggies can be amazing in the form of baked goods! Here are some tasty, healthy ideas to try: sweet potato brownies (we LOVE Deliciously Ella's recipe), zucchini muffins, morning glory muffins, spinach muffins. Tell us your favourite veggie-based baked good in a comment below!
7. Transform avocados into a decadent chocolate treat. You've got to try Andrea's homemade chocolate avocado pudding recipe. And if you don't have the patience or energy for 'official' guacamole, keep it simple. Just mash up that ripe avocado with some garlic powder, sea salt and lime juice! Enjoy with some whole grain tortilla chips or to dip your carrots.
8. Do a bulk veggie roast. If you struggle to eat produce-rich meals due to a busy schedule, try doing a cut and roast meal prep session once a week! Cut 3 bell peppers, 1lb brussel sprouts, 1 broccoli, 1 cauliflower onto one sheet pan and 3 sweet potatoes on another. Season with salt, pepper, and your favourite spices, then roast. Pair with rice or quinoa and portion into containers. Viola - lunch and dinner are ready when you need them!
9. Go bananas. Don't let overripe bananas go to waste - there are so many yummy ways to use them and their natural sweetness! Aside from our go-to vegan banana bread, we love cooling down post-workout with banana nice cream.
10. Try lettuce as a bun or wrap alternative. We particularly love romaine lettuce for this - the crispness is just perfect. Bibb lettuces like Boston or butter lettuce work fabulously as well.
Share the love and inspire others! Snap a picture and tag us on Instagram @thefitbodyproject_life when you give some of these tips a try!
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And I like the herbs idea. I hesitate to buy fresh herbs because I don’t want to waste them but I do own ice cube trays!
Veggie roasts have changed my life for the better. To get quality carbs in, I started doing a variety of root veggies together in the oven or even just one pot. So good 🙂