Still Trying to Eat More Veggies

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report on trends in fruit and veggie consumption among US adults over the past decade.

"In 2009, an estimated 32.5% of U.S. adults consumed fruit two or more times per day ... The percentage of adults who consumed vegetables three or more times per day was 26.3% ... Thus, no state met either of the Healthy People 2010 targets related to fruit and vegetable consumption among adults."

Several media outlets followed up on the report with articles of their own, including USA Today ("Americans' diets still short on fruits and vegetables"), the Washington Post ("Can the government get us to eat our veggies?"), and NPR ("Americans Are Flunking Easy Goals for Healthier Eating").

But the article that stuck with me the most was one from the NYTimes: "Told to Eat Its Vegetables, America Orders Fries." A few quotes ...

"People know that vegetables can improve health. But they’re a lot of work. In refrigerators all over the country, produce often dies a slow, limp death because life becomes too busy. ... 'Before we want health, we want taste, we want convenience and we want low cost,' Mr. Balzer said."

"Melissa MacBride, a busy Manhattan resident who works for a pharmaceuticals company, would eat more vegetables if they weren’t, in her words, 'a pain.' 'An apple you can just grab,' she said. 'But what am I going to do, put a piece of kale in my purse?' "

As much as I hate to admit it, I can relate to Ms. MacBride's complaint. It's easy to grab an apple, banana, muffin, or granola bar from the pantry and go; but I can't stick leafy greens or root vegetables in my purse. It's much harder to incorporate veggies into a breakfast or lunch on the go without prior planning (i.e. cooking on the weekend for the upcoming work week).

It's equally challenging when eating out at a restaurant. Veggies often are relegated to the status of "side dish" or even "garnish," while the (usually animal) protein takes center stage on the plate - and consequently in our diets overall.

So how can I eat more veggies? At restaurants, I try to find a side order of sauteed spinach or mixed greens or Brussels sprouts on the menu. I try to think ahead, buy the ingredients, and get up early enough to make a green smoothie or a veggie omelet for breakfast. I try to plan lunches that include tomatoes, avocado, spinach or arugula salad, or a quinoa salad with veggies (double benefit: protein from plants, not animals, and green veggies).

But sometimes I simply run out of good ideas. If you've got one, please share! I'm trying to eat the recommended four and a half cups of fruits & veggies a day, but I'm still probably in the 74% of Americans that aren't making it.