10 Ways To Get More Vegetables In Your Diet (And Why You Should)

Whenever someone approaches me for quick and dirty nutrition advice, my standard response is this: just eat a lot of vegetables.

I try never to tell anyone what they should take out of their diet, rather, I prefer to emphasize what to add in. Eating a lot of fresh vegetables each day provides us with countless benefits.

They provide a good amount of dietary fiber, which not only acts as a sort of "cleaning crew" for our digest systems, but also feeds the beneficial bacteria that resides in our guts.

In fact, the Scientific Director of the American Gut Project was quoted as saying that, "the difference in the diversity of the gut microbiome between people who eat a lot of plants and people who don’t eat a lot of plants is greater than the difference between someone who hasn't recently taken antibiotics and someone who has."

In other words, people who eat the fewest fruits and vegetables have such poor diversity and amount of their gut bacteria compared to those who eat the most fruits and vegetables, that the effect of eating a low-fiber diet is similar to taking a round of antibiotics. Wow.

Additionally, vegetables are rich in antioxidants which help to improve our overall health, and provide vitamins and minerals such as iron, plant-based calcium, and even small amounts of protein.

Need more convincing? People who eat diets rich in vegetables tend to have lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

How many servings of vegetables should we eat each day?

The recommendations for exactly how many servings of vegetables we should eat each day vary by country, with some being based on three or four ½ cup servings each day, and others providing a target of 500 grams (a little over a pound) of veggies per day.

The current US guidelines recommend that you fill half your plate with vegetables at each meal, which is a simple system to follow, and one I use with my clients.

It's important to include vegetables in your diet each day, and keep in mind that a diverse selection of vegetables will provide a diverse selection of nutrients. Try to mix it up!

Here are 10 ways to add more vegetables into your diet each day:

1. Vegetable smoothies

If you like to start your day with a smoothie for breakfast, a veggie-packed smoothie is an easy and delicious way to make sure you get a serving of vegetables in.

The classic green smoothie is a great way to start, and nope, you can't taste the spinach if you blend it in. I also love adding frozen cauliflower to my smoothies, like in this Chocolate Black Bean Smoothie.

If you've got a good blender you can also throw in harder vegetables, like in this Carrot Apple Smoothie with Ginger.

Try these delicious and healthy veggie-packed smoothies:

2. Veggie noodles

If you're looking for a simple and fun way to get more vegetables into your family, consider veggie noodles!

You can pick up a spiralizer but you can also just use a regular old vegetable peeler to make basic vegetable noodles.

If you think straight up veggie noodles are too much for your family, try mixing them 50/50 with regular pasta to get started! I love making this Warm Zucchini Noodle Salad with Halloumi. It's one of my favourite quick and easy meals!

Recipe to try:

3. Salads

Salads are an obvious solution to getting more veggies into your diet, but sometimes they can be kinda boring! Rather than your standard sad limp-lettuce salad, try mixing things up with a kale salad, or making a big platter salad like this Vegetarian Nicoise Salad.

Recipes to try:

4. Veggies and dip

I find that if I have a bunch of fresh vegetables chopped up and ready to snack on, I'm much more likely to munch on them. If you keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge they'll last for several days.

Try mixing things up with some dips and spreads to make eating veggies more fun!

Recipes to try:

5. Meal bowls

Meal Bowls, Buddha Bowls, Grain Bowls... whatever you want to call them, these meal prep bowls are a great way to add in a ton of veggies. Related: How to Make a Meal Bowl Without a Recipe.

Recipes to try:

6. Veggie packed wraps

Making wraps or burritos is one of my favourite ways to do bulk meal prep, and it's an excellent way to get in extra veggies. Just look at all the veggies in these Black Bean and Quinoa Freezer Burritos! The possibilities are pretty endless, and most definitely delicious.

Recipes to try:

7. Soups and stews

I like to think of soups as warm salads, and in the cooler months they're my go-to vegetable delivery system! From chunky soups like this Vegan Lentil Soup to a smooth and creamy Spicy Carrot Soup, the possibilities are endless!

Recipes to try:

8. Frittatas and eggs

Egg dishes are a total blank canvas for adding in veggies! I love making a big batch of Roasted Vegetables and using them up in meal bowls and frittatas. This Roasted Vegetable Frittata is easy and delicious!

Recipes to try: 

9. Stir Fries

Veggie stir fries are a fantastic way to get in a huge load of vegetables and have an easy, tasty dinner. This Pan Fried Broccoli stir-fry is a favourite of mine, as is this Red Curry Coconut Stir Fry.

Recipes to try:

10. Veggie patties and fries

You gotta love getting your veggies in fun forms like french fries and veggie patties! Make up a batch of these Oven Baked Zucchini Fries and dunk away!

Recipes to try: