One of the things I have been struggling with most after having William is getting enough fruits and vegetables into my diet. I have always had a pretty healthy diet; but for some reason when I am pregnant or nursing, I just don’t crave those foods. All I want is carbs, carbs, carbs. It’s probably not helping that I am running quite a bit, and starchy foods are very easy to ingest when you are starving and trying to eat quickly.
I am hereby acknowledging that my diet needs some work. I recently did some research into sneaking more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Here’s a list of helpful hints I found:
- Eat one fruit or vegetable serving with every meal. I know this doesn’t sound like much, but for me it’s a reasonable goal right now. I need to start somewhere, and I think a mini goal is the perfect place.
- Make yourself a smoothie for breakfast. You can sneak all kinds of fruits and veggies into a tasty smoothie. Baby spinach and kale can be combined with berries, yogurt, etc., to make an easy, healthy breakfast.
- Have a salad before dinner every night. I have a favorite salad that I like to make: romaine or baby arugula, blue cheese crumbles, Craisins, sliced almonds, and honey balsamic dressing. There are so many fun salads you can make–add in seasonal fruits to get a bonus serving of fruits and vegetables!
- Add a serving of fruit to your sandwich. If you like peanut butter and jelly like me, swap out the jelly for a sliced apple or banana.
- Add at least one serving of veggies to your next pasta dish. Add broccoli to your macaroni and cheese or peppers, onions, and carrots to your pasta sauce.
- Dress up your pizza. Go extra light on the cheese and make up the difference with extra veggies. We like to add artichoke hearts, black olives, and roasted red peppers.
How do you sneak fruits and vegetables into your (and your kids) diet?
Leave a Reply