Why You Have to Eat Your Vegetables and How to Pick Out the Right Flavours

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Hello Lovelies:

We’ve all heard it and we’ve all been that kid rolling our eyes when our mothers said it – “eat your vegetables”. At least, that was totally me. I used to hate them. But things have changed. And I realized just how much recently when a friends statement all but horrified me.

Have you ever been there? Horrified by someone’s innocent words? The words find your ears and you pause, flabbergasted, and go through an entire dialogue in your mind, on hyper speed… all the while smiling politely, knowing now is neither the time nor the place for a retort?

Yea, that was me when I heard my friend say these horrible words: “I hate vegetables”.

Okay, okay… I may be being over-dramatic here. But honestly, I was aghast!

It’s like – Uhm, excuse me? You hate vegetables? All vegetables? That rainbow of plant matter, more various in texture, aroma and flavour than any other food group?  You hate all of them?

After an internal back and forth, and some personal reflection, I realized that this used to be me. I used to be on the veggie hate train too. But dude… you seriously do need to eat your vegetables (don’t you roll your eyes at me! :P) So let’s talk about how to make it a lot more enjoyable for ya.

If you are on the veggie hate train, I totally understand.

I’ve been there. There was a time, pre-graves, when anything more than carrots and peas sounded nauseating. If you handed me a salad I would drown that sucker in the most processed, disgusting salad dressing I could find… and still, I would pick around most of it… in my mind’s eye, veggies were rabbit food.

But there’s totally hope! These days I eat plants like they’re going out of style and love every bite. There are so many factors that play a role in my ability to thrive with Graves, but an affinity for plant heavy meals is definitely a huge factor!  To put it plain and simply – if you want to be healthy you have to eat your veggies!

If I can find my way to the the veggie love train you can totally eat your vegetables and enjoy them too.

Why You Should Definitely Eat Your Vegetables Every Damn Day

Try as you might, you will never find any food group that’s as densely packed with all the nutrients your fabulous human body needs.

Veggies are rich in the water soluble vitamins that your body can’t typically store as well as fat soluble vitamins. They are one of the best sources of fiber, keeping that marvelous digestive tract of yours running smoothly. This means they also help to fill you up! And veggies have a unique abundance of phytonutrients and marvelous antioxidants, further supporting that precious body of yours.

Food is our fuel and we need to provide ourselves with the best variety of fuel possible. You can’t do that without veggies!

If you find yourself on the veggie hate train I encourage you to adventure deeper into the veggie world! Try plants you’ve never tasted, make different meals and find recipes that work for you.

Never forget – these guys are versatile and varied. Veggies are a rainbow of incredible flavour! Don’t be afraid to experiment and find your groove.

There’s No Way You Hate ALL Veggies

It’s impossible to hate all vegetables. If you’re feeling this way, you still haven’t discovered the right vegetables for you.

Think of it as a dating game. If your meeting with Kale ended on bad terms because you found their personality to be too bitter (harharhar), that doesn’t mean you have to swear off all veggies. Maybe a sweetie like butternut squash is more your style.

Much like when it comes to meeting new people (it’s impossible to hate all of them too; so much variety) you have to go at it with an open mind. If you’re dead-set on hating everything you will hate everything. And if you’ve convinced yourself that there is no reason to venture further and no hope of success you’ll never move forward and try new things.

But there’s good news! If you promise to move forward with an open mind, I promise to help you figure out the right vegetables for you.

Which Vegetables Are Right For You

The first thing is to figure out what flavours you like. Take your pick:

Sweet

Sour

Salty

Bitter

Umami

If you know what you like flavourwise you can easily find veggies that fit your preferences. Here are some examples of vegetables grouped by flavour:

Sweet

Sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash (butternut and acorn), sweet peas, corn and pumpkin

Sour

Tomatoes, pickles, rhubarb, tamarind and fermented veggies like Kimchi and sauerkraut (super bonus, the bacterial culture will support your gut health!)

Bitter

Rapini, Kale, Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, turmeric, dandelion greens and beet greens

Salty

Turnip, celery, chard, artichokes and seaweed (avoid high iodine foods like seaweed if you have an autoimmune thyroid disease like Graves and Hashimotos or hyperthyroidism – Click Here to find out why)

Umami

Mushrooms, potatoes, tomatoes, asparagus, peas, beans, cabbage and avocados

Here’s Where Things Get Fun!

Eating veggies doesn’t mean a lifetime of boring salads. They’re versatile!

Throw them in soups, play with stir fries, make interesting dips and dressings and pair them with your fave plant-powered meals.

You can even create the best juices and smoothies (get your hands on some recipes here and here)! Experiment, not only with flavour, but with recipes! Mix veggies into tried and true meals (spaghetti isn’t spaghetti anymore without peas, carrots, broccoli and greens in my house! We’d been missing out for years!)

Your tastes may differ from mine, but I promise you, the right vegetables are out there waiting for you. Go find them.

Health and love,

Thought of the day: I will not paint all with the same brush; my mind is open to new things and I am willing to try.

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