Vegetables are essential in our diet to supply the micronutrients in our body. Adding vegetables to the meal can drastically reduce the portion of carbohydrates that is needed because vegetable consumption can make you full faster. The recommended daily serving of vegetables is 3 servings while for fruit, 2 servings. However, according to the National Health Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019, only 5% of Malaysians eat enough vegetables and fruits.
Tips to increase vegetable intake;-
- Include vegetables into your main meals
- Put vegetables into your dish, for example, kale and spinach into the smoothies.
- Mix vegetables into your scrambled eggs to improve the texture and taste
- Snack on dried vegetables instead of chips
- Chop vegetables finely and put them into your cooking mixtures (eg. meatballs)
- Use vegetables as a medium for dips for example carrot dips into hummus
- Blend the vegetable to make morning juice with no added sugar
References:
- https://www.nutrition.va.gov/docs/UpdatedPatientEd/15WaystoIncreaseYourVeggieIntake2016.pdf
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346871934_Research_Highlights_of_NHMS_2019_Dietary_Practice_-_Fruits_and_Vegetable_intake
