A little dramatic? Not really. In the last year I have transitioned from raw to cooked vegetables and I am blown away at the impact it has had on my diet, health and overall well-being. Wow – that sounds so dramatic and nutrition-dorky of me but I swear it is true!
Why are cooked veggies so great?
It makes meal planning quick and easy. Instead of getting frustrated when vegetables go bad in your fridge because you didn’t get to them in time or being too tired to put a salad together for lunch or dinner consider cooking a bunch of vegetables (cook a lot!) on Sunday for the week. Put them in airtight containers and you have plenty of veg for the week with no concerns of anything going bad. On Sunday, I cooked 4 bunches of kale, two bunches of rainbow carrots and two bunches of broccolini – cook a lot so you have plenty of leftovers!
You can eat so many more vegetables! When you eat raw veg there is a lot of roughage which can cause bloating and discomfort – it is a lot of work for the gut to digest and break down raw vegetables. Cooking vegetables helps the gut out so it doesn’t have to work so hard. You are able to eat 2-3 cups of vegetables much easier. When you eat more vegetables not only are you getting more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but also you are filling yourself up with a low calorie food so you don’t eat too much. It is the key to weight control.
Nutrition becomes quite easy. A lot of folks get bored with a salad and chicken for lunch and are literally forcing the vegetables down to be “good” on their diets. This is not a sustainable plan. Eating vegetables prepared in a way you enjoy will make the experience pleasant and worth doing again. When you start eating several cups of vegetables a day you notice you are not craving junk, you see results and eating right actually becomes enjoyable and easy…imagine that!
So how to do it?
My advice to you is to keep it simple. Go online and find the most basic, simple way to cook a vegetable and then slowly get more fancy and creative. I love this write up on roasted vegetables – great perspective on keeping things simple! Get spices and herbs that you love, choose condiments you like and keep the flavors fairly simple so you can add protein, starches or other tastes throughout the week. A little olive oil and some salt go a long way.
Dork out, get overly dramatic and eat more vegetables. Try it…its fun!