Resolution 7: Eat More Vegetables

Eat More Vegetables (along with my fruit)

If only they tasted as deliciously as they look in the store...

Considering that last week my goal was to eat more fruit, it is most likely not surprising that this week my plan is to eat more vegetables. Albeit, this week's goal will be a harder one since I dislike most vegetables: particularly raw vegetables, which contain the most nutritional value. This is complicated by the fact that the vegetables I do like are the same ones my husband doesn't enjoy eating  and/or are the ones that are often quite expensive. For instance, I love grilled asparagus, but Scott does not. Also, I always enjoy sliced raw mushrooms (technically fungi, but classified as veggies when it comes to nutritional value), but my husband will always pass on eating them. Plus, sliced yellow peppers are sweet and delicious, but unfortunately always quite pricey (especially during this time of year). All these things make consuming vegetables harder for me, particularly in the wintertime when availability is low and prices are high.

Nonetheless, it is important that I am successful in fully weaving vegetables back into my life. Eating vegetables is one of the major platforms of a healthy lifestyle. According to Harvard's School of Public Health, a diet rich in vegetables helps to decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure, protect against some cancers, promote gastrointestinal health, and maintain good vision.

Personally, I believe that my largest challenge will be to order vegetables as a side-dish whenever I eat out, which typically is twice (or more) a week, rather than French fries. That said, with much help from my husband, I have already made a few steps in the right direction--at least when it comes to eating at home. Scott and I always have a freezer filled with frozen vegetables. Then, this morning at the grocery store, I picked up 8 ounces of pre-sliced mushrooms for snacking. Additionally, for lunch today (and therefore, lunches for work at least twice this week), Scott made an Italian meatball soup that was plumb-full of onions, carrots, and tomatoes (technically a fruit, I know, but nutritionally a vegetable).