Why Don't You Just Eat More Vegetables?

Everyone struggles to eat enough fruit and vegetables. 

Do you know why?  Because it's hard.

Here at Lean Green's we get asked this question a lot. "Why don't you just buy a load of veg and stick it in a smoothie?" or simply "Why don't you just eat more vegetables?"

Now the thing is, you're not wrong. In fact, you’re absolutely right. 

We are complete advocates of encouraging everyone to lead healthier lifestyles and to aim to get in as much of your five a day, but there can sometimes be this little thing called life, that can occasionally get in the way.

We’re not telling you to be holier that though.

We simply want to help you be the healthiest and happiest version you can be.

So keep reading for some super handy tips on delicious ways you can get those pesky vegetables into your diet.

In preparation of writing this article I thought I’d do a little research surrounding the oh wondrous consumption of vegetables.

Not only is the question; ‘why not just eat more vegetables’ one of our most frequently asked, but Google provides over 360 million results on how you can eat more vegetables.

A really handy tool for any SEO geeks out there called ‘Answer the Public’ also highlighted the amount of question that have been asked regarding your five a day intake.

Take a look at this image I captured of all the questions asked below; 

So if that image doesn’t make you feel any better about your concern for the lack of vegetables in your diet, it certainly made me feel far more reassured that I’m not the only person on the planet trying to find out ways I can eat more fruit and veg!

The guidelines state that everyone should eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. 

In 2017, only 29% of adults were eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables per day – and the average (mean) was 3.8 portions per day.

So basically what I am trying to say is… You are not alone.

You are not a terrible person for not meeting your Five a Day goal. We all struggle.

That’s why here at Lean Greens we want to give you a little helping hand.

Whether it be through our articles and nutritional guides or through informing you the benefit of taking our products. We are here to help!

Below I’m going to give you some epic ways of upgrading your meals throughout the day by helping you sneak in more fruit and veggies. 

The most important meal of the day right? 

This nugget of ‘wisdom’ is up there with ‘don’t swim after eating’ and my grandmothers favourite, ‘if you go to bed with wet hair, you’ll get a cold.’ 

I personally don’t really do breakfast.

I have always found it difficult to get something down in the morning before heading to work. 

I certainly don’t eat before I exercise in the morning either... not that this happens often. 

I’m definitely more of a brunch kinda gal.

You know, Eggs Benedict, pancakes, waffles… (All that good stuff)

To me, it doesn’t really matter what time you consume your breakfast. 

For some people, skipping breakfast gives them control over the calorie intake, for others like me, it’s simply not quite time for my body to be eating. 

Other people cannot function without their Cheerios. It’s really all down to personal preference, and what works for you. 

But no matter your preference, I’ve come up with a few great ways to #UpgradeYourBreakfast starting with toast and omelettes. 

Eating cereal, porridge and plain old toast with butter, Marmite or jam can become boring and repetitive. 

So we've come up with a few delicious ways you can create healthy toast toppings at home! 

One of my favourite toast upgrades is pinched blatantly from our local café, Number One, Peebles Road. If you’re in the area or in Edinburgh you really need to come down and check it out.

1. For this breakfast treat, you'll need some good quality bread, thickly sliced.
2. Spread on a generous layer of Nutella, then place your favourite fruit onto the Nutella. 
3. I like to use strawberries, raspberries or bananas, but you can choose whatever fruit you like. Then you can top it off with some chopped hazelnuts for a crunch!

This is a great way of having a bit of chocolate heaven whilst also getting some of your five a day in first thing in the morning.

The song say I like mine with a kiss....

But we think you'd be better off with some veggies!

Another way you can sneak fruit and veggies into your breakfast is through an Omelette. 

Everyone loves a good omelette, they’re a fantastic source of protein which keeps you fuller for longer, which is another reason why they’re a great way to start the day. 

Now I know what you're thinking, vegetables for breakfast?!

I myself find it hard enough to even gulp down a slice of toast let alone the personal trainers and bodybuilders of the world eating stir-fry and fish for breakfast. 

But trust me, these upgrades to your ordinary 3 egg omelette is EPIC.

1. Heat a small knob of butter in a small frying pan on a low heat, and once melted and bubbling, add the eggs and move the pan around to spread them out evenly.
2. Cook off your veggies in a separate pan with a little butter and salt and pepper and then add them into your egg mixture.
3. When the omelette begins to cook and firm up, but still has a little raw egg on top, sprinkle over the cheese (if using). I sometimes grate mine directly on to the omelette.
4. Using a spatula, ease around the edges of the omelette, then fold it over in half. When it starts to turn golden brown underneath, remove the pan from the heat and slide the omelette on to a plate.

More Upgrade Ideas

Chorizo, Peppers, Red Onion and Feta - This is one of our favourites!

Roasted Veg - Three eggs, a little bit of feta cheese and I’ve got leftover roast Mediterranean veg from the other day. So just adding a bit of chorizo for a little bit of meat in there and it gives it a little bit of flavour.

Asparagus - You could add this instead of roast veg some days, that’s quite nice in an omelette, just chop it up, stir fry it a little bit beforehand before you add your eggs.

Spinach - This goes lovely in a omelette, you can either mix it in with the egg or you could just rest it on top, you can also have it as a salad.

Mushrooms - You might spot during this article that mushrooms do not make an appearance. 

That is because Sam believes they are the Devil’s creation.

They are the one food Sam absolutely can’t stand and Tim loves them. So whenever they go anywhere, or out for breakfast or dinner, Tim orders things with mushrooms in because she won’t let them in the house.

But there you have another way of starting your day with some veggies, without making you gag!

Lunch is always a funny meal for me. 

I absolutely love going out for lunch and having the options presented to me, but having to choose something for myself from the fridge at home rather than snacking on half a tin of custard creams with my 90th cup of tea is a little difficult sometimes, especially when reaching the hangry stage.

But we have come up with some healthier alternatives, that will keep you full until dinner time, are super quick and easy to make, and most importantly taste delicious! 

Sexy Soup

Ahh soup. 

Quite possibly, one of the most unexciting, uninspiring dishes on the planet. But don’t panic. 

We’re about to teach you how to make soup sexy.  Yup. I just said sexy.

Food is glorious, and every morsel of food you consume should be a taste sensation. Life is far too short to eat boring and bland food.

So why not make a soup that is not only healthy and helps you meet some of your veggie goals, but is also so good you want if for dinner too!

Next up, we have salad. I know. Salad? Really Ellie? 

But remember, lettuce help you. (See what I did there?) 

What we want you to do when it comes to making your salad is;

Think beyond the lettuce.

We’ve all been programmed to think a salad only contains lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. 

Yet there are so many way to make tasty, nutritious salads, that don’t just involve lettuce!

We absolutely adore this Warm sweet potato salad, with chilli and halloumi from Waitrose. 

Or  why not try a pasta salad with roasted tomatoes and sweet pepper dressing

Bursting with flavour, a portion of this delicious salad also provides 2 of your 5 a day!

Even fruit can be added to your salad to add a delicious and natural sweetness. Try this Strawberry, tarragon and goats cheese salad.

Roasted Vegetables are incredibly simple and are a fantastic prep-ahead vegetable.

They are so versatile and go really well with most other dishes. 

You'll need: Peppers, courgettes, aubergines, red onions, black pepper, garlic, olive oil. 

Load them up on your place with your accompaniments, we love having them with roast chicken or a hearty steak as an alternative to chips! 

With any leftovers, you can store them in the fridge and then add them into your next meal. 

We think they are a great alternative or addition in curries, pasta and salads. 

Fun Fact!

Did you know the colour of your veg is actually an indicator to its nutrients? 

Chlorophyll is the green pigment found in plants.

It is what gives plants their gorgeous green colour and makes them healthy!

Chlorophyll is found in vegetables and also nutritional supplements. 

Yes, there is a difference.

The major difference is the machine you use to make them. A juicer makes juices, and a blender (or unsurprisingly, a smoothie maker) makes a smoothie. As a consequence of the machine used, you’ll either end up with the pulp, or you won’t. The pulp is the fibrous part of fruit and veg, the bit that contains the fibre.

 If you squeezed the carrot so hard that juice came out, you’d be left with dried bits of carroty pulp, and the liquid that came out.

There you would have some carrot juice. 

If on the other hand (literally), you mushed up the carrot so that all the liquid and the pulp were mixed together into a thicker liquid, that’d be a smoothie. 

Juice or Smoothie?

A juice is thin, juicy and doesn’t contain much fibre. A juicing machine will produce a delicious, tasty and sweet juice and chuck all the pulp out of the other end to be thrown away. 

A smoothie maker or blender blends the whole of the fruit and veg into a smooth, paste-like texture (so you need to add liquid when you’re making a smoothie). A smoothie contains all of the skin, stalks and flesh, and just means you don’t have to chew it all. 

If you’d like more ideas and recipes check out our three main guides to juicing and smoothies below; 

So there you have it! 

I’m not claiming this article is your new bible on how to consume more fruit and veg.

 Neither am I saying that Lean Greens is the oracle and your only way to get your essential vitamins and minerals. 

We want nothing more than to help you stay on the wagon, and consume your fruit and veg. 

But, we’re also saying we’re here when it all goes a bit pear shaped and you’re needing a little help. 

If you'd also like to take a look at some of our other articles, here's a link to the blog.