V is for Veggies

Photo by peet-astn.

Yes, vegetables are good for you. It’s not rocket science right? The USDA recommends eating 3-5 servings of veggies day- a serving being 1 cup of raw, leafy greens, 1/2 cup of other vegetables or 3/4 of vegetable juice. I’ve talked before about how carbs are not the devil and I stand by that statement. That being said, I’ve been trying to shave off a few pounds before my spring marathon training starts and though I haven’t cut out carbohydrates completely, I’ve been packing my diet with oodles of vegetables lately and I can’t tell you how great my body has been feeling. The real kicker when it comes to carbs is that they tend not to fill you up. A bunch of Triscuit crackers or a granola bar might sound like a reasonable snack but it doesn’t help if you find yourself hungry again twenty minutes later. The last thing you want when you’re on a diet is to be staring at the clock waiting for your next meal.

An approach I really like when dieting is to declare all vegetables more or less freebies. (French fries don’t count- that’s cheating!) Whether it’s salad chock full cucumber, peppers, spinach, onions and tomato or it’s a bowl of steamed zucchini and summer squash- think of fresh veggies as something you can eat to your heart’s content. Just make sure you pay close attention to the dips and dressings you add to your dish, as well as other salad toppings like croutons and cheese. At snack time, measure out your desired portion of dip or hummus but don’t even bother to count the number or baby carrots or broccoli you eat with it. If you’re having grilled chicken for dinner, pay attention to your portion size of meat but pile the rest of your plate high with steamed cauliflower, carrots and snap peas.

One of my favorite sides to make with a dinner is simply roasted vegetables. I’m not much of a cook but this is quick and easy to do and you can mix it up with whatever produce you have on hand at the time.

Roasted Vegetables
Source: The South Beach Diet Cookbook

1 medium zucchini
1 medium summer squash
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 red onion
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Cut the vegetables into bite-size pieces.

Place vegetables in a large roasting pan and toss with the oil, salt and black pepper

Roast for 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

These are the ingredients I use most of the time but on occasion I’ve thrown in other stuff I’ve had on hand like green peppers, carrots, or even eggplant so feel free to improvise.

I’m not saying you can’t enjoy your bread with dinner as well, but hopefully your hunger will be satisfied longer if you enjoy a hearty helping of produce along with that (hopefully multigrain) roll!

*Photo by peterastn.