Are we eating enough vegetables?

Hi Everyone!

For the past few weeks we had discussed sneaking in a few extra servings of vegetables and one extra work-out per week. How has that been going? For me, I hit a bump in the road this week as I came down with a yukky summer cold. It definitely side-lined my work-outs but I have been eating extra veggies, so it hasn't been a total loss!

I've read that depending on our calorie needs we should eat anywhere from 9-11 servings of vegetables a day! That's not that crazy if you think about the serving size of a lot of veggies is 1/2 cup. A big salad at lunch and a stir-fry with dinner and toss in a piece of fruit somewhere during the day and you will hit your target. If you notice, that doesn't leave a lot of room for junk-food!

One thing my family is trying is that we found a great Farmer's Market. It is a bit of a drive, but we have three other families in on this and we are all going to take turns and drive out there and buy the boxes of veggies, then come home and split them four ways. It turns out to be a lot of vegetables! And so much cheaper and fresher than the grocery stores. Try and google, fresh produce or food co-ops in your general area. I know here where I live there is a farmer who will deliver a huge box of seasonal vegetables to your door for about 25 bucks. Just think, if you split that with a few like-minded people, that can be a great way to have fresh vegetables all year around.

One of my goodies this week was I got about 5 lbs of yellow crook-neck squash, they were sooooo superior to anything I have gotten at the grocery store lately! I scrubbed and sliced them up and sauteed them in a pan with a teeny bit of olive oil, onions and garlic, added in some of my farm-fresh tomatoes, then a little salt and oregano and what a tasty side dish it turned out to be! I think the only way it could have been better is if I'd had some green peppers to go in there! Hopefully next week!

I've read of the moms who grate veggies up and hide it in food so that their kids will eat it. I thought everyone did this! My spaghetti sauce has always had so many grated veggies in it, it is almost a veggie sauce. Slice apples up really, really thin and put on a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. Google “veggies for veggie haters” and there is a good article on WebMD about this.

Let's face it, in the world we live in, it is so much easier to grab junk food, and all the super yummy things at restaurants makes eating plain, simple food a challenge. But in the long run, it is worth the effort to feed our bodies nourishing, real food. Your hair, skin and waist-line will thank you!


So, whether you are out training women in business this week, business networking in Southwest Florida or are a 'stay-at-home' mom. I wish you the 'veggie' best!

Lynda Waldron, Health Coach
takecontrolnow.tsfl.com
LDWaldron@yahoo.com