WHY VEGGIES ARE VITAL

I doubt that it will be news to you that vegetables are good for you. The age-old message to eat your greens has certainly stood the test of time and is probably one of the only consistent nutrition messages that you will get from people, regardless what else they believe about food and nutrition.

The World Cancer Research Fund report suggests that we should aim to be eating at least 600 grams of non-starchy vegetables and fruit every day to help keep our bodies in tip-top working order and healthy from the inside out. So, what is 600 grams? Well, it is around 7 or 8 servings (handfuls) a day. Ideally, I would suggest this to be 2 servings of fruit, and the rest, the extra five plus, the non-starchy veggies.

How many serves of veggies do you honestly have a day? Yes, take into account the weekend. And Friday night, too. Are you having anywhere near enough?

Currently, most of us know to aim for 5+ a day, and this is certainly a good starting point. However, given that 34 per cent of Kiwis aren’t even getting three handfuls of veggies a day (and this figure actually includes the starchy veggies, too, so is an over-estimation when it comes to how many serves of non-starchy veggies we actually eat), there is work that needs to be done!

Upping your veggies can have so many positive effects. Not only can it reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, it also helps ensure that your digestive system stays healthy and that you don’t get bunged up!

If keeping your body healthy for life and preventing nasty diseases isn’t enough to encourage you to start chopping up carrots and plant a veggie patch immediately, then tune into the fact that eating lots of veggies will also help your skin look healthy and glow. Veggies are also vital to help you feel energised and they are super helpful when it comes to keeping you slim – surely that is enough encouragement?!

Eating heaps and heaps of veggies along with a balance of other nutrient-rich foods, a good night’s sleep and keeping well hydrated will put you well on your way to looking and feeling your best every day.

VEGETABLE TYPES

Vegetables aren’t all created equal. A potato is very different nutritionally from a spinach leaf and, let’s be honest, celery and pumpkin aren’t exactly the same, are they?

Vegetables can be classified in all sorts of ways – by their colour, whether they grow under the ground or on top, or if they are ‘starchy’ or ‘non-starchy’.

The colour classification is an easy one to sort out, as is whether a vegetable likes to grow in a dark place or out in the sunshine, but the starchy verses non-starchy vegetable conversation is interesting and something that isn’t very well understood. Let’s see if I can help get some clarity on this one.

Most vegetables are predominately made up of carbohydrate (starch) and water. They do, of course, have tiny amounts of fat, protein, vitamins and minerals – but the bulk by far is the starch and water.

Whether a vegetable is classified as ‘starchy’ or ‘non-starchy’ is really dependent on just how much starch is in that vegetable. A potato is clearly very starchy and a cucumber is not – it is packed with water – but when it comes to veggies like pumpkin, corn, peas and carrots things can get a little hazy. Where do they fit in?

There is no official definition for a starchy or non-starchy vegetable, but dense vegetables like potato, kumara, yam, taro, green banana and corn sit at 15–30 per cent starch and I am comfortable for those to be classified as starchy. The rest are lower than this, peas 7 per cent, pumpkin 6 per cent, carrots 4 per cent and broccoli only 2 per cent, so these would be considered less starchy or ‘non-starchy’, but you can see that there can be room for different interpretations. Spinach, lettuce, mushrooms and all the rest of the vegetables are easier to clearly classify as they have very little starch so fit well into the ‘non-starchy’ camp.

Why does this matter? Well, the vegetables with a higher starch component are much more energy-dense (have far more kilojoules per serve) than those with less starch and more water. A cup of cooked potato is 566 kilojoules (142 calories), for example, whereas a cup of cooked broccoli is 162 kilojoules (41 calories).

So, with my message to up your game on the vegetable front to help you look and feel your best, I am really asking you to focus on increasing the amount of the less starchy veggies rather than doubling your portion of mashed potato.

Including starchy veggies as part of a well-balanced, healthy diet is still fine and the amount you need will depend on how active you are and whether you are looking to trim down a little or not, but I personally put potato, kumara, yam, green banana, taro and corn into the same category as rice, pasta, bread, crackers and other well-known starchier foods.

I do completely realise that if you currently have one floret of broccoli a day and the odd carrot, the thought of upping your veggie serves to multiple handfuls a day might seem impossible – but you don’t have to do it overnight. It is simply about finding ways to increase from one serve to two, then two to three, and so on, until you are really eating a lot more veggies than you used to. It has taken me a few years to nail this one consistently.

GO GREENS!

Eating a variety of different-coloured vegetables is important. Each vegetable has its own unique set of nutritional goodies and I certainly aim to include a mixture of colours every day. Personally though, I do have a soft spot for green veggies, and at least two of my servings of veggies most days would come from greens. Leafy greens like spinach, silver beet (also known as Swiss chard) and kale are just absolutely packed with the nutritional goodness of fibre, vitamin C, B vitamins for energy, folate and non-haem iron (this is less well absorbed than the iron in meat, but certainly worthy of a mention), as well as an array of the vitamins and minerals that work together to help your body function well and you look your best. Broccoli, rocket and salad greens as well as all the herbs are winners, too – they just make you feel so good when you eat them regularly, and feeling good is the goal!

You can add greens to almost anything. Make totally green smoothies, add them to berry smoothies, omelettes, soups, mince dishes, serve them on the side – you name it, where there is a meal in my life, there is more often than not some green veg.

One of the reasons why I love them so much is that they are super easy to grow – and when you are trying to eat more veggies, if you want to avoid spending a small fortune, growing some greens in a pot, a half wine barrel or a little patch in your garden can be a life (and financial) saver. Growing a few of your own veggies, shopping at farmers’ markets and local veggie stores and having some greens (like spinach) in your freezer makes upping your greens that little bit easier.

MAKE IT AFFORDABLE

I appreciate that eating lots of vegetables could increase your food bill but, as this is something I'd like everyone to be able to do, I want to assure you there are ways to eat cheap when it comes to veggies and I certainly do this myself. Here are my tips:

• Reduce your meat/fish portion – you only need a small palm-sized amount, 100–120 grams per person is adequate. Cheaper cuts of meat can be used very successfully with the right recipe. Also, try the cheaper types of fish. You may need to find a new way of cooking them but you can pick up a whole mackerel, as an example, for a few dollars and it will serve two to three people. A few meat-free meals a week can also be good on so many levels – there are lots of recipe ideas on this web site. The money you save from this approach can be used for you to spend on other things, like . . . veggies!

• Use frozen as well as fresh veggies – spinach, peas, broccoli, you name it, you can find it frozen these days and it can be a very costeffective way of eating more vegetables. There is always a special on at least one of the frozen veggies, too.

• Use all your veggies – don’t throw out those broccoli stalks; if you take off the tough outer layer you can slice them and add them to a stir-fry, grate them into a salad or put them in a soup. Leave on the skins of potatoes and kumara, too – more fibre and goodness!

• Eat seasonally – it really is the only way to go when it comes to saving money.

• Compare prices – the cost of veggies varies hugely depending on which supermarket you shop at. If you go to a local fruit store or a farmers’ market, look around. I certainly hunt out bargains and use what is cheap that week.

• Pack your own lunches – buying salads out can be pricey and it is much easier to have a healthy lunch when you make it yourself.

• Make soups – when the weather is cooler, this is such a fab way of getting 2–3 serves of veggies in each day without really trying. I do this in winter; then it is three servings down, only 2–3 to go! I always have a stock of single-serve portions of soup in my freezer, too, which I can quickly whip out for a light lunch or substantial snack.

How to make healthy happen!

Here are all the ways I get veggies into my day and these are things I have taught people who stay with me, too. Some of these ideas are great for beginners, others will require a little more thought and open-mindedness – so start where it feels right for you and, over time, try some new things.

HOW TO ADD MORE VEGGIES TO YOUR BREAKFAST (1–2 handfuls)

1. Add spinach to a breakfast smoothie Blend a handful or two of thoroughly washed spinach with ½ cup of water. To this you can add:

• A handful of frozen berries, a cup of low-fat milk, a tablespoon or two of vanilla yoghurt and a few teaspoons of ground LSA (linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds) or any seeds of your choice.

• 1 small frozen banana, blended (peel it before you freeze it – I didn’t the first time and it got very messy!), 1 cup of low-fat milk and a few teaspoons of ground LSA or, again, any seeds of your choice

2. Have veggies with your eggs

When you say ‘eggs’ to most people at breakfast time, the logical addition is bacon. But there is no reason why you can’t have veggies at breakfast.

• If you are having poached or scrambled eggs, why not add some mushrooms and tomatoes on the side? Either grill or lightly fry them in a tiny bit of oil in a pan. Spinach is also a great accompaniment to eggs, just pop some in the microwave (without water) for 30 seconds to wilt it or add it to the pan with your mushrooms and tomatoes to soften.

• Omelettes are a winner for breakfast or a light meal option – I have chickens so eggs are always on tap and, wow, what a quick and easy meal they make. I use about 1–2 handfuls of veggies and 2 eggs per person. Onion (white, red or spring onion), mushrooms, tomatoes, leafy greens (I often use frozen free-flow spinach), capsicum and courgette all work super well – you can even add peas (with a little chopped mint – mmm, so good!). It might be more of a weekend thing if your week is super busy, but that’s fine.

HOW TO ADD MORE VEGGIES TO YOUR LUNCH (2+ handfuls)

IDEA 1: Have salad veggies as your ‘base’
In the warmer months, most days my lunch has two handfuls of nonstarchy veggies as the starting point and to that I will add some protein, a little healthy starch and some healthy fats. I know that most people plan their meals around the protein or starch part, but I like to start the other way around – the veggies are just as important. This is a mind-set shift, but something people who have stayed with me have learnt to do, and something we advise all of our clients at Mission Nutrition to do. Here are some of the combos I enjoy:

Coleslaw
Lettuce can be pricey, but cabbage and carrots are often cheap. I will prepare coleslaw as the veggie component of my dinner one night a week (served with some baked chicken or fish, for example) and I always make extra so that I have enough coleslaw to last me for 2–3 lunch meals on the following days.

Half a white or red cabbage, finely shredded (you need a good knife or mandolin, ideally), plus 3–4 large carrots, grated, will make about 8–10 handfuls of veggies. I add herbs to mine (mint and parsley), some fresh chilli or chilli flakes and I would add a little dressing just before I eat it.

You can also add capsicum, edamame beans and some spring onions along with an Asian-style dressing to mix things up.

Grated veggies
Grated beetroot and carrot with some chopped parsley is just magic – I often use a food processor with a grater blade to make it all less messy and again, I make enough for several dinner meals and/or lunches. I add a dressing just before I eat it most of the time (or in the morning before work when I take it out of the fridge, or I keep some dressing at work) and then just add some protein, healthy fat and possibly some starch.

Grated carrot with chopped veggies like celery, baby spinach, spring onion, capsicum and sliced snow peas along with some nuts and seeds also make a great combo.

Grated courgette is a wonderful base or addition to a salad, too, and when they are in season this is a genius use of courgettes.

Mixed salad combos
It is easy to make a delicious salad by mixing and matching whatever ingredients you have at hand using this formula:

2 handfuls of salad veggies + protein (eg tuna, chicken, egg) + healthy starch (chickpeas, kumara, quinoa) + healthy fat (eg nuts, seeds, dressing)

Salad veggies
A good starting point is to put a handful of salad leaves like lettuce, mesclun, rocket, shredded cabbage or baby kale into a bowl or container and then add a combination of other veggies depending on what you find works well for you. Veggies can be added when they are raw, roasted, grilled or steamed and cooled, depending on your preference. I always just go with what is in season when it comes to making salad combos.

These veggies are all wonderful in a salad: capsicum, cabbage (red or white), cucumber, tomatoes, mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, bean sprouts (mung beans), grated courgette, carrot, fennel, snow peas, beetroot, spring onion, red onion, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, radish, artichokes, eggplant (pre-roasted or grilled is best), corn, baby corn and peas.

Protein
If you are making a salad that is going to be a complete meal, it is really important to make sure you include some protein-rich foods to help keep you full and provide your body with the goodness it needs. Canned fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel or sardines are great choices. Fresh cooked New Zealand king salmon or smoked salmon are also good, and are a great way to get some omega-3 as well as protein. A boiled egg, shredded skinless chicken, cottage cheese, cold roasted meat or tofu are other ideas.

Chickpeas, lentils or other pulses also count as a source of protein, but it would be best to make sure you are also adding some nuts and seeds to your salad to boost the protein content a bit if pulses are the only thing in your salad other than veggies and a little fat.

Healthy starch
Although pulses do fall under the same category as lean meat, poultry, fish and alternatives, they also have a good amount of starch in them so, personally, I use them in salads as a source of both starch and protein. I am a big fan of using chickpeas, kidney beans or butter beans and if they are the only starch source I am having in that meal, I will be sure to have a good handful to fill me up. Brown rice, quinoa and bulgar wheat are good, too.

A little roasted or steamed kumara can work well as a source of starch and boiled potatoes are also lovely. I often add these to a tuna Niçoise salad to make it a little more filling.

Healthy fat
Be sure to add a little healthy fat to your salad for a dose of fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. A sprinkle of nuts and/or seeds or a few slices of avocado are easy ways to include healthy fats. If you are watching your waistline, be mindful of the amount you add because fats are very energy dense (high in kilojoules/calories).

IDEA 2: Stuff your sandwiches/wraps/pita bread
If you are a sandwich fan, it can be very easy to fall short on veggies at your lunch meal as there is only so much salad a couple of slices of bread will accommodate. So, we need to find a way to help you fit more in! You can either try to double the amount of lettuce, cucumber, grated carrot or seed sprouts that you pop in there, or simply take some extra veggies to snack on the side. Carrots, tomatoes, capsicum, mushrooms, snow peas, courgette, broccoli and cauliflower are all good alongside sandwiches.

Wraps and pita bread (wholemeal, of course) are easier to pack with heaps of veggies – aim to get 2 handfuls in there if you can. If you can’t manage it without it all falling apart, just add the extra veggies on the side.

This might all sound a bit ‘hard’ and time-consuming, but I simply prepare my veggies to eat the next day as I am preparing veggies for dinner. I just chop or wash a few extra things and it takes less than two minutes to sort. Two minutes out of 24 hours to feel good is an investment that’s worth it.

‘Making healthy happen’ is all about moving towards this way of living one step at a time. Like I have said before, it has taken me years to learn to eat like this – a journey of discovery, trying new things and making a plan that works for me and my very full-on life. So, it is just about taking your time, and at least starting to shift things day by day. Remember: you are worth it and so are the results!

IDEA 3: Make soups
Anyone who follows me on Facebook or has checked out my blog (find it at www.claireturnbull.co.nz) will know that I am a massive soup fan – it is such an easy and cheap way to get goodness in. As soon as the cooler months arrive I am right into it. I try new recipes every couple of weeks and basically make one batch at the weekend to last the week for lunches and snacks – how easy is that?

Soups are a great way to use up less-than-awesome-looking vegetables, broccoli and cauliflower stalks and you can also add frozen vegetables – whatever works for you. When you make your own soups, use homemade stock if you can or buy reduced-salt stock.

To make a soup more filling and a complete meal, you can add lentils, split peas, barley, quinoa and all sorts of other things.

IDEA 4: Veggie-packed frittatas
Eggs and veggies are such a great combo and a frittata makes a quick and easy meal, a perfect packed lunchbox item and can be as simple or as fancy as you like, depending on what you choose to put in it.

HOW TO ADD MORE VEGGIES TO YOUR DINNER (2+ handfuls)

Your evening meal is probably the easiest place to start increasing your veggie quota. Ideally, aim to have half your plate covered with veggies. Two handfuls of veggies can either be served separately with a meal like baked fish, roasted kumara and then broccoli/peas and carrots, let’s say, or those two handfuls of veggies (per person) can be added into the dish – or do a combination of the two!

1. Adapt your recipes to add more veggies

• Mince – it is very easy to add extra veggies to mince dishes. When I make a Bolognese, chilli or meatballs, for example, I will use more onion than the recipe says, and often add some finely grated carrot, courgette, chopped capsicum or mushroom as well as frozen veggies. You can also add extra protein with beans or lentils.

• Casseroles/stews – there is no easier meal to add veggies to. I tend to double the amount of veggies suggested in most recipes – 2 onions, more carrots, and an extra can of tomatoes – this means I get away with using less meat.

• Curries – I love curry, but I make an effort to make healthier versions. I will either add veggies to a meat/chicken/fish curry – carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and greens beans can work well – or I will make a totally vegetable-based side dish to go with a meat/chicken/fish curry. Curry recipes freeze well so if time is an issue for you, you can make double and freeze half. Often I will make, say, a double batch of chicken curry one week and eat half and freeze half. I will serve this with a spinach saag which I will have made a double batch of the previous week. Then I will just keep repeating this so I only have to make one dish at a time, and have the other dish in the freezer ready to go.

• Overhaul your pizza – homemade pizza made on a wholemeal pita or pizza base can be a quick and easy meal. It is easy to add a lot more veggies to the top of your pizza and serve it with a salad. If you want to be more adventurous, you can actually overhaul it one step further and make the base from veggies, too. Now, you may not believe this works (and I can assure you I was equally sceptical the first time I tried this), but you can use grated cauliflower as the base – mixed with an egg and a little cheese, it is seriously amazing and great if you have anyone who needs to be gluten free in your family. Honestly, try it and let me know how you go, I am a total convert.

• Wrap your burger, falafels, meatballs, lamb koftas or mince dishes in lettuce. Lettuce? Yes, you read it right! I know . . . it is not the same as a bread bun or wrap, I get that, but it is an option! You will need a sturdy leaf like iceberg or cos lettuce (also very easy to grow), or you could use spinach or blanched silver beet (with the stem removed) – it is worth a try.

2. Try some vegetable-packed meat-free meals

I was brought up as a vegetarian because of the whole BSE (mad cow disease) drama in the UK, so for 14 years I didn’t have a scrap of meat, chicken, fish, any cheese that wasn’t vegetarian or anything with gelatine anywhere near it because that was what my whole family were doing and, at age four, I didn’t really have much say in the matter.

I guess because my family decided to become vegetarian when I was so little, I was brought up knowing nothing about meat and, let me tell you, we had some amazing meals – my mum became very creative!

Like many children, as I mentioned before, I was fussy – to the extreme actually (sorry, Mum). I have since found out, however, that even though I thought I was dodging vegetables, my mum was a master at hiding them in meals so I actually ate far more than I realised. Veggies can go into anything and be hidden where need be.

I am definitely no longer a total vegetarian and I even prefer my steak rare rather than well cooked – a far cry from the old me, that’s for sure. But, to be honest, we still certainly enjoy our fair share of meat-free meals in our house and when we do have meat it really isn’t that much. Here are some great ideas for meat-free, veggie-packed meals:

• Chickpea curry

• Tofu stir-fry

• Lentil bake

• Chickpea patties

Veggie snack ideas

• The veggie box – I have a snack box with chopped up veggies at the front of the fridge at all times. If I am out all day I take my veggie box with me.

• Celery filled with a little peanut or almond butter – you can even top it with a few raisins or sultanas; ants on a log, I believe this is called in children’s land. I never had this as a child but think it is a very good idea! You can also add a few raw almonds on top to give extra crunch.

• Corn on the cob – when in season you can have cooked fresh or frozen mini cobs.

• Edamame beans – technically they are a pulse, but I will let them stay in this section; they are still green and a great choice! You can buy them from the frozen section of the supermarket or Asian food stores. Pop them in the microwave for a minute or steam them and there you have it, a healthy snack.

• Vegetable-based dip with wholegrain crackers

• The ultimate green smoothie snack - blend 1 cup of well-washed spinach (baby spinach is ideal as it is softer) with 1 cup chilled water (or you can use coconut water) and ½ apple and/or ½ frozen or fresh banana. You can add a good squeeze of lemon, too, for a really fresh taste and parsley if you are feeling game – it is all extra goodness to help you look and feel good. A good blender is vital for this – if you end up with a chunky mess, you might need to invest in a new blender.

VEGGIE-PACKED DAY

Here is an example of a veggie-packed day:

• Breakfast – berry smoothie with greens, 3 brazil nuts (1 serving vegetables, 1 serving fruit)

• Morning tea – fresh fruit and low-fat yoghurt (1 serving fruit)

• Lunch – coleslaw with chickpeas, chicken and seeds (2 servings vegetables)

• Afternoon tea – 1 cup homemade veggie soup and 2 wholegrain crackers with cottage cheese (1 serving vegetables)

• Dinner – casserole with veggies galore in it and peas (2 servings vegetables – one in the casserole, one with peas on the side)

TOTAL = 2 fruit and 6 vegetables. See – it’s easy when you know how!

WHAT ABOUT FRUIT?

The main focus of this section is on upping your veggies because that is the area most of us need to work on, but remember fruit is still good for you, too. Two servings a day is a good guide for most people, maybe three servings a day for those who are more active. A serving is a cupped handsized portion like an apple, orange or large kiwifruit, for example. When it comes to fresh fruit, the fresher the better. Frozen fruit is also super handy and useful in so many ways.

Canned fruit in juice can be a good standby option and dried fruit is great to add sweetness to breakfast and healthy home baking, but do be mindful that a serving of dried fruit is much smaller than fresh fruit given that the water has been removed and it is a much more concentrated source of sugar. If 2 small apricots or 12 grapes is a serving when fresh, then 2 dried apricots and 12 raisins is a serving when dry. I'm not suggesting you need to start counting your raisins, this is just to give you a rough idea!

Juicing fruit isn’t ideal, as you end up with a very concentrated source of sugar in a glass and if you are only going to be having two or three servings a day, then it is better to enjoy most of your fruit whole, in my opinion. Adding a little fruit (½ apple or pear, for example) to veggie juice would be enough to add a little sweetness without going overboard.