Would you rather eat a cotton ball than a vegetable? If so, you aren’t alone! It is estimated that  75% of Americans don't eat the recommended 5-9 servings of vegetables a day. This is unfortunate considering the important impact that veggies have on our health. And even if we do eat veggies,  many of us eat the not so nutritious ones. Did you know that the most commonly consumed veggies are iceberg lettuce, ketchup and French fries? Scary!

Why the dislike of  vegetables?
Why do certain people love vegetables while others hate them? Genetics may play a role. Research has shown that people who dislike cruciferous veggies (i.e. broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage) have a sensitivity for tasting a substance called PROP (a bitter tasting component). It also possible that you didn't grow up eating vegetables therefore never acquired a taste for them. Some of us don't like the texture of vegetables. Whatever the case may be, the majority of people are not consuming adequate amounts of veggies for good health.

Nutritional benefits of vegetables
Vegetables are loaded with nutrients such as vitamins, minerals (including calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium), fiber, and disease fighting antioxidants and phytochemicals. They aide in gastrointestinal health and can help lower cholesterol and decrease risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancer. In addition, vegetables aide with weight loss as they can help you to feel full – without the calories. 

What is a serving size of vegetables?
One serving equals a half-cup of raw, cooked or pureed vegetables (including tomato sauce and vegetable soup), one cup of raw leafy greens, or four to six ounces of juice.

Tips to increase your intake of veggies
1. Be open minded! It is possible to learn how to enjoy vegetables.

2. Try to sneak them into your favorite dishes. Add shredded carrots to meatloaf or zucchini slices into lasagna. Add veggies to your slice of pizza. Add some chopped carrots and onions to your soup. If those little chunks of veggies turn you off, try pureeing them to hide them even more.

3. Change your cooking method. If you usually steam veggies, try roasting or grilling them. These cooking methods can change the texture and tend to impart more flavor. For example, I'm not a huge fat of steamed asparagus, but love grilled asparagus that is brushed with a little olive oil. The same goes for eggplant.

4. If you don’t like cooked veggies, try raw ones. This can change the texture. Sometimes the dislike of vegetables is more of a texture issue.

5. Add different veggies to salads (red pepper, shredded carrots, grape tomatoes, chopped steamed broccoli, etc). Try to use a darker green lettuce or spinach as your base to increase the nutritional content. 

6. Add interesting sauces to vegetables to help disguise them. Here are some to try:
Teriyaki sauce, a little olive oil and sprinkle of parmesan cheese, tomato sauce, butter spray, low fat salad dressing (there are tons of good ones. I love the light Paul Newman's "Lighten Up" line including Lime Vinaigrette or Sesame Ginger), stir-fry with garlic, ginger, a splash of soy sauce and a little rice wine vinegar or add a sprinkle a handful of low fat shredded cheese and melt. If you like hot and spicy foods, try adding a little hot sauce to your veggies. If you like sweeter foods, find a marinade or sauce that has a sweeter taste. Of course, if you are watching your weight, check the calorie content of these sauces.

7. If your preference is for sweet foods, try mashed sweet potatoes or winter squash with a little brown sugar and cinnamon.

8. If the whole texture thing bothers you, try drinking your veggies. Juice them (try adding an apple or beets to the greens to add sweetness). You can also buy commercial vegetable juices (i.e.V8 juice).However, you may want to get the low sodium version as the regular ones are loaded with sodium.

9. If you still can’t fathom the idea of consuming at least 2 servings of veggies a day, I would recommend that you take a general multivitamin with minerals. While pills are not a replacement for veggies, it will at least provide you with the vitamins and minerals that your diet may be lacking in such as Vitamin C, fiber, antioxidant and phytochemicals.

10. Make sure you are consuming several servings of fruits a day. While fruit doesn’t contain all the same nutrients found in vegetables, it does provide some of them (ie. vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, phytochemicals, etc.)

Good luck and let us know any of you veggie haters have found ways to increase your intake of veggies!
Check out my blog for more tips for "girls and guys on the go" at http://citygirlbites.com/blog/