We are almost done with January! Are you keeping up with your healthier lifestyle and diet resolutions? Me I never make a resolution. I make a short term goal. Something that’s attainable and will give me the satisfaction of completing my goal. Statistically 83% of many of us will no longer keep our resolutions after the first two weeks in January. Scary stuff. But that’s what I’m here for. To teach you how to keep your healthy goals going and going all year long.
As a certified health and wellness coach, my job is to educate my clients on how to eat healthier foods and motivate them to keep doing so. As a certified personal fitness chef, it is my job to teach my clients how to make those healthy foods into delicious snacks and meals. So let’s talk vegetables! Remember how your mother used to say eat your vegetables? Well she actually was on to something. Vegetables are nutrient dense and have vitamins and minerals, fiber, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, beta carotene and more!
I think many of use the same vegetable(s) in the same way. It’s easy and no worry about not liking the taste. Let’s break that cycle and eat the rainbow! The rainbow of veggies that its. Every color has a special value to our bodies. There are so many too choose from! I suggest my clients eat five veggies a day in addition to the their four fruits minimum. Here’s some examples of healthy and tasty veggies according to color:
Red – beets, radishes, chili peppers, red bell pepper, tomatoes
Yellow – corn, platain, yellow onions, yellow squash
Orange – butternut squash, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes
Green – artichokes, arugula, asparagus, avocados, basil, bell pepper, bok choy, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussel sprouts, celery, cilantro, collard greens, cucumbers, endive, escarole, fennel, green beans, green onions, kale, leafy greens, lettuce, parsley, peas, spinach, tomatillos, zuchini, green herbs
Blue or purple – eggplant, radicchio, shallots, turnips, purple onions
White – cauliflower, garlic, ginger, jicama, onions, potato, white corn, white asaparagus
Black – mushrooms, truffles, black olives
Quite a list isn’t it? With all these fabulous choices, you can add in 5-7 easily each day. There’s even more if you want to add to this list. Mix them with bean, brown rice or whole wheat pasta to complete a protein. Eat them alone or in a group hot or cold. So many veggies, so many choices.
Why not try to add two to three new veggies each week to your diet as your short term goal? Questions on how to make healthy meals with all these veggies? Contact me and set up a personal fitness chef lesson or two! Healthier meals are at your finger tips. Enjoy the rainbow!
http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/02/eat-rainbow-colorful-fruits-and-veggies.html
*Disclaimer:
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Kim Gerhardt, Certified Health Coach, does not take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
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