What if I don’t like fruits & veggies?

The first advice you get from a nutritionist or your physician when it becomes important to make changes in your lifestyle is always to eat more fruits and vegetables.

You can't eat healthy without including fruits and vegetables because of the nutrients they have

Eating fruits and vegetables on my weight loss journey has helped me to keep my calories down. 

So why are vegetables  Important in our diets?

The Recommended daily allowance for adults is minimum of 4.5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day. If you practise filing half of your plate with vegetables at each meal and snack on fruits you can achieve that and more.

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with micronutrients. These are vitamins and minerals that help the body maintain all its functions.

If your diet is lacking in these groups of foods you may be more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, some cancers and obesity.

Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy meal plan for losing weight.

To achieve a calorie deficit  in a weight loss plan  fruits  and vegetables need to be added which gives lower calories and bulk compared with other foods.

They are high in fibre, high water content too which fills you up, without  taking in too many calories for the volume  consumed compared with other foods.

Nourishment From Other Sources

Most people don't consume enough amount of calcium, potassium, fiber, magnesium and vitamins A, C, D and E that they need. The body absorbs these nutrients better from food sources than it will from a multivitamin supplement.

Talk to your physician about dietary supplements if you can't get all the nutrients you need from the food you're eating.

These vitamins and minerals are available from non-vegetable and non-fruit sources, but those foods are often higher in calories.

Excluding plant sources from your foods may leave you deficient in certain vitamins and minerals unless.

Calcium: Used by your body to build strong bones and teeth, calcium's primary source in the diet is milk and other dairy products. Vegetable sources — Cooked spinach, has 122.4 milligrams per half-cup.

Potassium: Potassium helps to maintain healthy blood pressure, and it's found in sweet potatoes, white potatoes and different varieties of beans.

It's also available in different  fruits, including Kiwis, bananas, peaches, oranges. Other sources, include fish, like halibut, cod. Also dairy sources like yogurt and milk.

Magnesium: An important mineral for the muscles, arteries and heart. Magnesium is found in pumpkin, Spinach.

You can also get your magnesium from brown rice. Also from nuts like almonds, cashews, peanuts and Brazil nuts.

Vitamin A: For eye health and cellular growth, vitamin A is  found in sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, spinach.You may also get from offals like liver, Gizzards.

Vitamin C: Essential for the  immune system and a nutrient that helps the body form collagen in blood vessels, bones, cartilage and muscle. Vegetables such as sweet peppers, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, sweet potatoes and cauliflower are great sources. Also fruits like guava, oranges, kiwi,  pawpaw, pineapple, strawberries.

Vitamin D: It plays a significant role  in absorbing calcium so your body can grow and maintain strong bones and teeth.Vitamin D can be difficult to get from food sources, which is why many are fortified with it. Also found in non-plant sources such as salmon, tuna.

Vitamin E: An antioxidant that fights damage to cells in the body, and it's often found in spinach, avocado and tomato. You can consume nuts, like peanuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds.

You can learn to love Vegetables.

It's  better for your  overall health. It's nearly impossible to get all  the nutrients you need by relying entirely on other sources. It's almost impossible to have a healthy meal without vegetables.

Start with blending fruit into smoothies,whipping up homemade dips or dressings for raw vegetables, decorating  baked potatoes with different veggies.

Adding colourful vegetables to salads, mixing beans and peas into recipes.Decorating serving dishes with vegetable slices, and keeping freshly cut-up vegetables on the side for easy additions to meals.

Also adding chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseeds, psyllium husks, quinoa to your smoothies and meals can boost your daily intake of dietary Fibre which you get easily from your fruits and vegetables.

Micronutrients are important for your overall wellness. Make a commitment to try new fruits and vegetables today as you become a healthier you,