Start Loving your Veggies!

Eating vegetables is crucial for ideal health and wellness.  Vegetables provide so many vitamins and minerals that they are a must for EVERY meal.  Even though everyone knows we should eat our vegetables, many do not.  Below are a few tips on how to enjoy vegetables yourself and also get your children to start loving vegetables!

It is important to remember that it takes three to four tries of a food before you may start liking something you originally did not enjoy before.  Let’s focus on the dreaded green vegetable as these are often the ones most people avoid or think they do not like.

1.) Pick one of the vegetables below to try – least bitter ones are often easier to begin with.

• Least Bitter:
  • Peas
  • Green Beans
  • Spinach
  • Asparagus
  • Broccoli
  • Brussel Spouts
  • Swiss Chard
• Most Bitter:
  • Dandelion Greens
  • Radicchio
  • Kale
  • Collard Greens

2.) Pick a Compliment to add to your vegetable choice above. These will help cover up the “vegetable flavor”.

• Spice:
  • Crushed Red Pepper
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Chopped garlic
  • Cumin
  • Ginger
  • Black Pepper
•  Sour:
  • Lemon Juice
  • Vinegar: Rice, Cider, Wine
  • Fermented Vegetables – Sauerkraut, Kimchi
• Salty:
  • Mustard
  • Salt
  • Capers
  • Anchovies
  • Olives
  • Feta cheese

3.) Pick an ingredient that helps balance out the bitterness. The goals is to add a little of the sweet or fat below.

• Sweet:
  • Maple Syrup
  • Honey
  • Wine
  • Mirin
  • Oranges
  • Berries
  • Cooked Onions
• Fat:
  • Bacon
  • Tahini
  • Avocado
  • Butters
  • Almonds
  • Olive Oil, Coconut Oil

4.) Pick a Method to Prepare the Ingredients.

1. 
   
   1. Raw
   2. Steam – Approximately 3 minutes
   3. Sauté – approximately 10 minutes
   4. Braise – 15-45 Minutes – Slow Cook until tender but still firm – This technique works well with the more bitter vegetables to minimize the bitterness.
   5. Roast/Bake – This is a great way to make Kale Chips, roast root vegetables, and help bring out the sweetness in vegetables.

5.) Play around with different food combinations and give them a try! If you don’t like them the first time, try preparing a different way.

Some of our family’s favorite food combinations are:

1. 
   
   1. Swiss Chard, oil, onions, and lemon juice
   2. Broccoli, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil
   3. Spinach or Brussel Sprouts with bacon and onions.

Check out a video we created about 3 Easy, Green Meals at our home for a few different options.

VIDEO

We will give our kids various things they can do to help us with when preparing of meals.  We have found they like to try foods they had a hand in creating.  It instills valuable tools they can use when they are older.  We would love to hear your recipes or tips you may have found successful.  We are here at Venture to help you move better, feel better, and be a better you!

• Melanie Dockter DC CACCP