“Eat your veggies.”
If you just had flashbacks to your childhood where your mom is standing over you wagging her finger. Parents have tried for years to bribe, trick or beg their children to eat vegetables. Their efforts have even been immortalized on television in Veggie Tales, a show about animated vegetables who go on adventures and teach a moral, spiritual message.
Now that you are an adult, the message about eating your greens still might not have sunk in. But long gone are the days of nibbling on a flavorless celery stick. You can add veggies to any dish to bring out the flavor and get some of the added health benefits. Toss in some celery, crushed tomatoes, onion and garlic for an amazing homemade spaghetti sauce. Or dip your vegetables in something delicious, i.e., peanut butter, honey, hummus or salad dressing.
If you still can’t stand eat veggies or your kids are refusing, trick yourself and them. Add mashed bell peppers to pizza sauce or squash to mashed potatoes. Or my favorite, sneak in some zucchini bread. (How do they do that? Seriously, can’t even tell the zucchini is in there.)
Vegetables contain antioxidants, a whole slew of vitamins, are high in fiber and have low-sodium. The last two alone are a great way to lose some unwanted weight. By replacing a high-fat, high-sodium snack with a tasty veggie treat can be the difference between actually buttoning your favorite pants or not. And everyone knows that extra fiber helps keep you, you know, regular. Vegetables also help fight off heart disease and many different kinds of cancer.
If the health benefits for you body are not enough, think about eating veggies as a way to save money. Buying and eating fresh meals with produce is actually cheaper than buying pre-made box dinners, and definitely cheaper than eating out. Even better, plant your own garden. It not only is therapeutic to tend to a garden, after your initial investment it is like getting free food! If planting your own garden is too time consuming or you don’t have enough space, try attending a local farmer’s market. These markets have a great variety of fresh produce and herbs. And it supports your local economy.
Eating your veggies can also lower your health insurance rate in a roundabout way. If you are healthier, you require less doctor’s appointments and medical treatment, which in turns saves you endless amounts of money.
So eat your veggies. If not for your health, to save money, or to lower your health insurance rate. Do it for your mom.
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