Part of living a lean lifestyle is learning how to bend your diet without breaking it. Which means meeting yourself where you are and being realistic when you need convenience options, but never going overboard.

 

In an ideal world, we'd all have the time, energy and desire to make all of our food fresh daily at home and love plain steamed veggies. Ugh. But with all the demands on our time and our personal preferences (which matter insofar as they determine how likely we are to stick with it), convenience options are a must.

 

I have to admit--vegetables are not my strong suit. If I am not conscious of them, sadly I can go all day without them, munching on bars, shakes, fruit and eggs.

 

But they are a huge part of living a lean lifestyle, and the more vegetables you eat, the fuller you stay (fiber + water), the better your metabolism runs and the more water you SHED (fibrous veggies are natural diuretics because of their high mineral content). 

 

So, below are 3 techniques I use to fit more veggies in my day easily:

1. Try a "Greens" or "Reds" powder. This is the lazy man's veggie option (e.g. me) but offers plenty of antioxidants and is an easy way to get the vitamins and minerals you might be missing when skirting veggies. I personally use Metabolic Effect's Recovery Greens and Reds, but Amazing Grass has some decent versions too. Try 'em and see what you think. They work well for people who are on the go and need convenience options.
2. Just eat the ones you like. Don't like broccoli? Don't stress it and don't force it. Eat what you like and eat them as much as possible. When my little brother, Danny, moved in with Jade and I two years ago, he didn't like any vegetables except for green beans. So he ate green beans. Even sometimes with a little butter or sprinkle of cheese. It was better than nothing and over time, he tried new veggies and acquired a taste for others. If you don't like veggies but will eat a Caesar salad, start there. Not ideal, but better than nothing. Try new ones when you get the opportunity and over time, you'll begin expanding your veggie variety.
3. Use the OXO Salad Chopper. Whoa, this thing changed my life! It's a super-simple, inexpensive tool (basically a bowl with a double pizza-cutter thingy) that you can stuff with 4-5 cups of greens, which when chopped down ends up being much more palatable (no stems!!) and manageable in a very yummy BAS J Add lean protein and voila! 

Last week I posted my quickie lunch on Facebook. Five cups mixed greens, chopped up + 1 grilled chicken breast (pre-cooked, unseasoned), plus balsamic vinaigrette. Simple:

 

 

How do you sneak in more veggies? I'd love to hear from you! J

 

Ox,

Jill