Easypeasy: this is how you easily eat more vegetables

From former model to nutrition consultant, Michelle den Hollander flew around the world from shoot to show, but also experienced the struggles of having the ‘right’ measurements. This brought her to where she is now, and on Amayzine she shares tips.

I: ‘And do you eat enough vegetables?’
Client: ‘Yes, yes, certainly, I think about three times... Yes, about three times a week.’

By now, I should have gotten used to an answer like this, because unfortunately, I hear this too often in practice. But I still find it surprising. Three times a week vegetables, and probably just a little at dinner. This is expected to be about 600 grams of vegetables a week. And to think that you should actually eat about 400 grams of vegetables a day.

The detox diets are flying at you this month, which can definitely be recommended at the right time. But why not start with the basics first? Just eat a little more vegetables. Vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, and all sorts of other nutrients. Vegetables provide many health benefits and thus a reduced risk of (chronic) diseases. I do recommend washing the vegetables well under running water before use.

But why do we eat so few vegetables if they are so important? I think I know one reason for that. This healthy food has a bad image when it comes to taste. But is that the fault of the vegetable or the person preparing the meal? Just like all other food, you can also dress up vegetables a bit, give them flavor, and incorporate them into dishes. And no, it doesn't need a dollop of sauce, but some herbs, for example. This way, you can easily eat more vegetables in a day.

I would like to give you some examples of how you can prepare vegetables:

● At breakfast or lunch:
Make a delicious vegetable soup (pureed or a broth soup with lots of vegetables), make a vegetable omelet, or make a smoothie with at least two-thirds vegetables.

● On bread:
Grill eggplant, bell pepper, and zucchini with some pepper and whatever you have lying around for a delicious summery sandwich. Cucumber, tomato, and/or lettuce can of course also be used, but especially vary in that.

● Make fries:
Fries made from sweet potato, parsnip, or celeriac. Really a recommendation.

● In your pancake or muffin:
This is also a fun and easy trick for children to get them to eat more healthy food.

● Use it as a base:
Look up recipes with vegetables as the main element. Vegetable lasagna or whole grain wraps with many different types of vegetables (and without minced meat!), for example.

● Hide them in a sauce:
Grill or fry some vegetables and make that the sauce for pasta or rice. You can combine many different vegetables in it.

● Spread it:
These are increasingly available ready-made or make it yourself. You can put this spread on a (gluten-free) cracker or sandwich.

● As pasta or rice:
Replace your rice or pasta with a vegetable variant or mix this with whole grain pasta or brown rice. Such as cauliflower and broccoli rice or zucchini and carrot spaghetti.

Every two weeks, Michelle shares tips on Amayzine about healthy living, know-how about healthy eating, and her own story. Already curious? Read up on Michelle’s Good Food.