Gorgeous Rainbow Chard!

It is extremely difficult to narrow down which vegetables I love the most, but this list reflects the veggies I eat the most:

1. Asparagus

2. Broccoli
3. Cauliflower
4. Brussels Sprouts

5. Bell peppers

6. Anything in the squash family (pumpkin especially)

7. Green beans
8. Cucumbers

9. Kale

10. Broccoli rabe
11. Spinach
12. Carrots

13. Collard greens
14. Seaweed

15. Cabbage
16. Eggplant

17. Artichoke
18. Onions
19. Arugula
20. Spinach

Even though this list may seem extensive, there are soooo many more vegetables to be enjoyed. Here are a few easy ways to incorporate a wide variety of vegetables into your daily eating in order to reap all of the possible health benefits:

1. Eat a different color vegetable at every meal. If you eat green in the morning, try to eat something red, orange, yellow, purple, etc. at the next meal.

2. Use chopped vegetables as fillers. Instead of adding breadcrumbs to casseroles use mushrooms. If your pasta sauce only has tomatoes in it, add some bell peppers and onions. Use spinach or kale (or both!) instead of ham or bacon in your next quiche. You get the picture : ) Adding one or two vegetables to each recipe ups the nutritional “ante” and may leave less room for high calorie foods.

3. Green smoothies are very popular for a reason. They taste deliciously fruity but have the added benefit of vegetables (kale, spinach, celery, cucumbers). Google “green smoothie”, try some different recipes and find your favorite. Eat as breakfast or a snack!

4. Be a taste-tester! Every few weeks pick out a vegetable you have never tried before. If you can stick with seasonal produce, you’ll be able to try different veggies at the point when they are at their highest quality in both taste and nutrients. Frequenting farmer’s markets is a great way to see a wide variety of produce and also get some in depth information from the growers themselves.