You know that you should be eating better, getting more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, etc. But if you are as busy as most women, you just don’t have time to chop those vegetables, skin that chicken, or whip up a salad with five different types of lettuce. Luckily, making everyday meals more nutritious doesn’t mean you have to hire a personal chef or sign up for cooking lessons. Try some of the easy ways below to make your meals more nutritious.
Add the veggie.
Buy a few bags of frozen vegetables and you won’t believe the easy ways you can sneak them into healthier meal choices. Throw some into that jar of instant spaghetti sauce when you heat it up; mix it into the hamburger or turkeyburger patty before you cook it. Steam them and eat them raw, or toss them on top of any entré©e, whether frozen, take out, or (gasp!) homemade. Sprinkle them on sandwiches, in soups, or blend them into your favorite dips. These small servings of vegetables can add up to one big nutritious boost to your meals.
Switch your greens.
If you are already eating salads and vegetables (good for you!), make a few easy changes to make your choices even more nutritious. Instead of iceberg lettuce, which does nothing to make a diet healthier, try Romaine. For even more nutritious meals, switch to spinach. As a rule, the darker your greens the more nutritious your meal becomes. This is a very easy way to make meals more nutritious.
Go for the berry.
Vitamin C, antioxidants, folate, fiber and so much more “ toss a handful of berries into your meal plan every now and then and your meals become exponentially more nutritious. Buy some fresh fruit, rinse it, and then use a handful whenever you can “ on your breakfast cereal, in your yogurt, on top of your ice cream when it comes down to it (hey, you might as well add a little nutrition…) This is such an easy way to add more nutrition to your meals. Throw some in a blender with milk and yogurt for a smoothie, or just eat a bowlful with a spoon (talk about easy).
Bone up.
Calcium plays a vital role in women’s health, in everything from healthy bones and teeth to a healthy heart and blood pressure. Eating more calcium has been linked to increased weight loss (not that you’re interested in that), as well as easing PMS. In order to increase calcium intake, you don’t have to stand around drinking gallons of milk. Instead, try incorporating more dairy into meals with some easy choices. Add low fat grated cheese to salads and soups, a slice of cheese made from 2% milk to your sandwich, or snack on fat free yogurt. If you don’t like dairy products, try drinking calcium fortified orange juice, or substituting spinach for lettuce in your salad. These easy changes will make your meals more nutritious in no time.
