How to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables: 6 Genius Tips to Transform Your Meals

how to eat more fruits and vegetables

Want to learn how to eat more fruits and vegetables?

In many ways I feel like I was born to write this post. Because, to put it mildly, my boyfriend is not friends with too many vegetables. Corn, carrots, potatoes, and raw cauliflower (!) and that’s about it! Green vegetables? Not a chance.

So in the 5+ years we’ve been together, I’ve come up with what I think are a few clever ways to encourage him (my toughest challenge) and other families to learn how to eat more fruits and veggies.

If you’re in the same boat (or you have kids with picky palates), hopefully some of these sneaky tips can help you too!

I’m definitely not above using a little magic to make fruits and vegetables more friendly for the picky eaters in the house!

Here are six of my easy tips to learn how to eat more fruits and vegetables.

1. Get your blender to do the heavy lifting with smoothies.

Smoothies are a terrific way to get more nutrient-dense fruits and veggies in our diets. Be sure to include protein and healthy fats like avocado to balance blood sugar.

In fact, avocados make some of the creamiest smoothies!

Try this Peaches & Greens Smoothie, but substitute the peaches for pineapple. You can use fresh or frozen, but adjust the liquid if needed. This way you’ll achieve a much sweeter smoothie.

Lean, Mean Peaches & Green Smoothie

Your family might also like this refreshing cucumber smoothie.

If you’re making green smoothies, romaine lettuce and spinach are mild and juicy. Easily hidden in smoothies with a banana or 1/2 to 1 cup of other fruit, these greens provide a nutrition boost without a “green” flavour.

You can add fruit with greens or other vegetables like carrots, pumpkin or beets. I think beets are AMAZING with raspberries, strawberries or other berries.

I recommend making your smoothies smooth. You can serve them in a dark-coloured glass. Next thing you know, your family will be gulping down your green smoothies like they’re dessert.  

Here are some more of my top smoothie-making tips:

  • I like to keep at least half my fruit in a frozen state for a naturally cold smoothie and I add enough water, nut milk or other liquid to blend everything until smooth.
  • If your fruit/veg smoothie creation isn’t sweet enough for the sweetie in your life, add a spoonful of maple syrup or honey or even a pinch of green leaf stevia for a no-cal sweetener option.
  • Try to find a balance between how many servings of fruit and how many servings of vegetables you add, but don’t worry if you add more fruit to start.
  • You can gradually add more veggies as your family’s taste buds become used to healthy, wholesome fruit- and veggie-powered meals.
  • I recommend making your smoothies smooth and you can serve in a dark-coloured glass so they don’t know the smoothie is green. Next thing you know they’ll be gulping down your green smoothies like they’re dessert.  

Here are some more healthy (non green) smoothie ideas:

2. Keep raw vegetables prepped and within reach at all times.

My boyfriend probably enjoys raw vegetables as much as or more than me. But there are only a few types he will actually eat. So, keeping raw vegetables prepped is the key to success here.

Wash your weekly haul of raw vegetables. Chop them into various sizes. Store them in handy reusable (preferably glass) containers for snacks, salads, sides at dinner, lunch or even breakfast.

Once they’re prepped, it’s easy to eat them raw or lightly cook or steam them in various ways.

My friend Robin makes an effort to keep raw vegetables on the table with every meal so the family can pick and choose from their favourites as a snack or side.

3. Use vegetables to substitute some foods.

Does your partner love chips and dip? Try homemade salsa instead of store-bought – it’s really not that hard to put together.

I like the raw salsa below and you only need a food processor or a good, sharp knife to make it.

Red and green salsa-full-1

This green and red tomato salsa gets a kick from parsley, lime, cumin and apple cider vinegar.

Citrus-Ginger Squash Spread - inside

Do your kids love hummus? Try swapping the chickpea version for one made from carrots or squash (like this sweet, creamy Citrus-Ginger Squash Spread).

To discover how to eat more fruits and vegetables easily, swap chips or crackers for crunchy bell peppers or cucumbers.

You could also try offering cheesy kale chips or serving slices of fruit with peanut butter or other nut butter like almond or cashew.

Do your kids love cookies? Try adding additional fruit or even veggies like carrots or pumpkin for a nutritional boost.

You might even consider creative ways to explore how to eat more fruits and vegetables. Experiment with fun recipes like zucchini noodles or fruit salad with a drizzle of honey.

Free diet and health resources PDF

Your info is safe with me. I will guard it with my life and promise no spam, ever. I genuinely hate it as much as you do!

4. Heat things up in the kitchen with roasted vegetables.

Have you ever roasted a marshmallow?

Roasting turns what is otherwise a bland, sugary, bleach-white blob into caramelized, roasted heaven. And it does the same thing to vegetables!

The only difference is that with vegetables you avoid that awful heart-pounding, sweaty blood sugar CRASH that soon follows. If you’ve never roasted your vegetables before, you must try it.

Roasting a plain veg like raw cauliflower transforms it into something special. It becomes roasty, toasty, caramelized… you guessed it, heaven.

You can roast a cauliflower in florets or slice one giant head into thick “steaks” for a unique texture and flavour.

Enjoy this white veg on its own, with spices or even topped with tomato sauce for a fun and flavourful twist. I like roasting zucchini “boats” and topping them with tomato sauce too. Here’s the truth…

Roasting just about any vegetable transforms its flavour. Try it and see if your partner likes those sweet peppers, eggplant or zucchini just a bit more. These veggies literally transform with roasting!

Cook just until tender and aim for brown, not black, caramellization.

To get a good brown on them, rub them lightly with oil. Cook with plenty of space around each piece (no overcrowding the pan). Then, flip them halfway through the cooking process.  

5. Keep your partner happy with healthier alternatives.

Here’s another one of my top tips for how to eat more fruits and vegetables. This can go hand in hand with tip #4 above. I love coming up with easy ways to make my favourite foods just a bit healthier!

For example, rather than serving white potatoes as fries, try serving sweet potato “fries”.

I chop sweet potatoes into large wedges or chunks. Dress them in a bit of oil. Then, roast in the oven, turning once.

Who doesn’t love sweet potato wedges? I love serving them with a spicy dipping sauce like this dairy-free chipotle one.

how to eat more fruits and vegetables - roasted sweet potatoes

I used soaked cashews, water, whole New Mexico chiles, ground cayenne, lemon juice and sea salt and blended everything into a creamy, slightly spicy dip.

Using homemade dips that take only minutes to make (especially if you have a high-powered blender) can turn your everyday vegetables into something worth talking about.  

6. And when all else fails, hide those hated fruits or veggies in plain sight.

Another simple tip on how to eat more fruits and vegetables is to hide them in plant sight. I’m the queen of this (or so I think!).

Adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet can be as easy as adding extra veggies to soups, stews, chili, and casseroles. You can also hide them in spaghetti sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, on pizza, in sandwiches, quinoa or rice bowls, as well as frittatas or other egg dishes.

Many vegetables can do double duty in providing extra flavour and extra nutrient density.

Greens, carrots, kale, pureed zucchini, cauliflower, even beets (red velvet cake? rich stew?) can all be added to your meals in many different ways.

Super Curried Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

This Super Curried Red Lentil Soup is laced with health-boosting spices and packed with sweet potatoes. I also love it with carrots and it comes together quickly, in 15-20 minutes so it makes a quick, tasty lunch.

Want to hide fruits? You can also hide them in plain sight!

Fresh Fruit, Seed and Nut Granola

You can use hard fruits like apples and pears as the basis for this grain-free fresh fruit “granola” – one of my ultimate favourite breakfasts because it’s full of nutrients, flavour and textures.

And if these tips don’t work on your partner, they’ll probably still work on your kids, so go for it and don’t give up!  

Do you have your own tips for how to eat more fruits and veggies? 

How do you make them more friendly for your loved ones?  

Life is a plate… Eat up!

Ashleigh

1 thoughts on “How to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables: 6 Genius Tips to Transform Your Meals

  1. Pingback: Apple Pie of My Eye Smoothie Bowl (gluten-free, grain-free, vegan) | Ashleigh Grange, RHN

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