No one can blame you if you’re more of a cheese lover than a veggie fan, as some people just really dislike their greens. However, the fact is that actively avoiding vegetables can lead to serious health risks and complications down the road.
You read that right, all those slogans about eating vegetables were telling the truth. The Harvard School of Public Health point out how there is a direct link between vegetable consumption and major chronic diseases— the more greens you consume, the less likely you are to develop chronic illnesses like cancer and diabetes.
Case in point, in ‘Why Fruits and Veggies are a Must for Your Daily Diet’ we revealed how the regular consumption of vegetables is akin to receiving preventive chemotherapy that lowers the risk of developing cancer – without any of the nasty effects associated with radiation treatment. This is good news for a huge chunk of individuals in the country who are at risk of succumbing to chronic illnesses in the near future. In line with this, healthcare experts from Maryville University reveal that chronic illness will affect a staggering 164 million Americans by 2025 — almost half of the entire population. This unbelievable forecast should be enough to convince you to at least try and snack on some carrot sticks... at the very least.
All this begs the question – how many servings of vegetables should you actually be eating daily? Healthline recommends approximately 400 ounces every day to get the full health benefits. If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry! You can start your veggie eating habits with the easy and delicious recipes listed below:
Deep-Fried Green Beans
This snack will be so good you won’t even notice you’re eating greens! It’s ridiculously easy to make, too. You just need to cook green beans in boiling water for two minutes, and then put them in ice to retain firmness. After that, coat them in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs before deep-frying until golden brown. This recipe is the perfect alternative to chomping on unhealthy, processed chips during movie night. It's up to you if you want to dip them in ketchup, sour cream, or ranch sauce.
Tomato Rice
You’ve probably heard of this tomato in rice trick before, as it has gained traction from people all over the Internet. Lazy cooks swear by it, as it yields a unique soft and sweet rice that you’ll likely end up eating too much of. All you need is a large ripe tomato, a cup of rice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Prepare your rice as you normally would before adding the seasonings and the tomato on top. You’ll have a lovely meal waiting to be mixed and eaten when it’s done cooking!
Burrito Bowl
What makes burrito bowls so fun to make is that picking the ingredients is completely up to you! This is perfect if you can’t stand certain vegetables, as you can just leave them out. If you need some inspiration, the usual ingredients include romaine lettuce, black beans, avocados, and cilantro leaves. For the sauce, you can whisk together sour cream, chipotle paste, garlic, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Serve these on top of freshly cooked rice and you have yourself a healthy veggie dinner.
It’s not that hard to go green. Try out these recipes and see for yourself how easy it is to start eating and living healthily.
Article by Amber Nicolle
Exclusively written for O2 Living