Varying Your Veggies

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According to the CDC, the recommended daily intake of vegetables for adults is about 2-3 cups per day and fruit is about 1.5- 2 cups per day (can vary depending on the person), however, only 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. meet these daily values.1Many of the top leading deaths in the U.S. are caused from chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart disease which tend to correlate with a diet high in fat and low in both fruits and vegetables.1
Getting the adequate amount of fruit and vegetables can be extremely hard for many reasons; time, cost, taste, etc.  Being a college student, I find I have a much easier time getting my daily fruits in compared to my veggies.  I don’t love raw vegetables but baking/sautéing them always seems to take too much time.  I was online shopping one day and came across an air fryer for under $50 and I had heard a lot about them so I decided to order it (impulse buy, whoops).  I received it 4 days later and my vegetable intake has never been better!
I’ve tried brussel sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, cauliflower and green beans so far!  I chop up the vegetables, put them in a Ziploc bag, add less than a whole serving of extra virgin olive oil, throw some seasoning in (I usually do garlic and onion powder) and then shake the bag so that the little bit of oil and seasoning can spread over everything.  I dump them in the air fryer, turn it to 400 degrees, and set the time for 5-10 minutes (depending on how you like your veggies cooked).  It’s so simple and the vegetables taste so good!  The clean-up usually consists of just wiping the basket of the air fryer which only takes a few minutes.    I am usually able to get at least 2 servings of vegetables in each batch I make.  I eat more vegetables than I ever have and I now eat a whole variety of them as well!
Air fryers are such a good way to not only get your vegetable intake up but to make delicious “fried” food without all the bad fat!  I have added a website below with a bunch of air fryer recipes that I have had good success with!  Enjoy!!

Recipes: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/23070/everyday-cooking/cookware-and-equipment/air-fryer/

MG



References:




1.    https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p1116-fruit-vegetable-consumption.html

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 29, 2019 at 9:52 PM

    MG, thank you for giving veggies the spotlight. I seriously LOVE vegetables so much it is a little odd. I agree that so many people make many excuses as to why they aren't getting their adequate amount of vegetables daily (time, cost, etc.). I think our role as future dietitians though is to put all these claims to rest and give our clients all the resources to make sure they get the right amount everyday. For me, I would love to share the different ways to cook vegetables (like using an air fryer) and how that can be enjoyable and good to eat for families. Great post!

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