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10 ways to increase your daily portion of vegetables

Forget all the food hypes and complicated diets, the fastest way to develop a healthier lifestyle is to simply eat more vegetables. Research shows that few people (less than two-thirds) eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables. Here are ten ways to increase your daily serving of vegetables:

1. By adding a piece of vegetables to your favorite fruit smoothie or by adding vegetables to your omelet, you start the day healthier.

2. Have a salad for lunch. Choose one that consists of crunchy vegetables, fresh lettuce leaves and a little protein and your after-lunch dip will disappear like snow in the sun.

3. Resist the four-hour dip by including strips of red pepper, radishes and small tomatoes in your lunch box.

4. Add small pieces of bell pepper to just about all of your favorite dishes like soup, casseroles, stews, pasta sauce and burgers. The sweet taste almost always goes well with most dishes.

5. Let children eat more vegetables by serving vegetable fries; strips of raw carrot, cucumber and yellow pepper always work well.

6. Forget the traditional piece of meat and two kinds of vegetables, why not three or four pieces? In general, the more variation on the plate, the more you eat.

7. Start with “Meatless Monday”. You will find that by omitting meat you really go more vegetables. Even if it is only 1 day a week.

8. Small steps count too:it doesn't hurt to put some pickled vegetables on your cheese sandwich or just lettuce and tomatoes.

9. It's about the preparation; you are much more likely to snack on vegetables if you have them already cut in the fridge.

10. Try grilling or grilling your vegetables. This releases the natural sugars in products such as pumpkin and parsnips and makes them even tastier. Just grease them with some oil and place them under the hot grill.