Building
a healthy plate is easy when you make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
It’s also a great way to add color, flavor and texture plus vitamins, minerals
and fiber. All this is packed in fruits and vegetables that are low in calories
and fat. Make 1-2 cups of fruit and 4 cups of vegetables your daily goal.
1.
Variety abounds when using vegetables as pizza topping. Try broccoli, spinach,
green peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini.
2. Mix
up a breakfast smoothie made with low-fat plain milk, frozen strawberries and a
banana.
3.
Make a veggie wrap with roasted vegetables and low-fat cheese rolled in a
whole-wheat tortilla.
4. Try
crunchy vegetables instead of chips with your favorite low-fat salad dressing
for dipping.
5.
Grill colorful vegetable kabobs packed with tomatoes, green and red peppers,
mushrooms and onions.
6. Add color to salads with baby carrots,
grape tomatoes, spinach leaves or mandarin oranges.
7. Keep cut vegetables handy for mid-afternoon
snacks, side dishes, lunch box additions or a quick nibble while waiting for
dinner. Ready-to-eat favorites: red, green or yellow peppers, broccoli or
cauliflower florets, carrots, celery sticks, cucumbers, snap peas or whole radishes.
8.
Place colorful fruit where everyone can easily grab something for a
snack-on-the run. Keep a bowl of fresh, just ripe whole fruit in the center of
your kitchen or dining table.
9. Get
saucy with fruit. Puree apples, berries, peaches or pears in a blender for a
thick, sweet sauce on grilled or broiled seafood or poultry.
10.
Stuff an omelet with vegetables. Turn any omelet into a hearty meal with
broccoli, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes or onions with low-fat sharp
cheddar cheese.
11.
“Sandwich” in fruits and vegetables. Add pizzazz to sandwiches with sliced
pineapple, apple, peppers, cucumber and tomato as fillings.
12.
Wake up to fruit. Make a habit of adding fruit to your morning oatmeal, plain
yogurt or smoothie.
13.
Top a baked potato with beans and salsa or broccoli and low-fat cheese.
14. Have
a cup of vegetable soup as a snack or with a sandwich for lunch.
15.
Add grated, shredded or chopped vegetables such as zucchini, spinach and
carrots to lasagna, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, pasta sauce and rice dishes.
16.
Make fruit your dessert.
17.
Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables to steam or stir-fry for a quick side
dish.
18.
Make your main dish a salad of dark, leafy greens and other colorful
vegetables. Add lean protein like chicken, seafood, or lean beef. Top with
low-fat dressing.
19.
Fruit on the grill: Make kabobs with pineapple, peaches and banana. Grill on
low heat until fruit is hot and slightly golden.
20.
Dip: Raw vegetables in hummus, baked tortilla chips in salsa,or strawberries or
apple slices in low-fat yogurt.
Curteosy of www.eatright.org
