Like many, I get into a rut with my eating habits. I notice that I keep buying the same few vegetables for my meals. Kale, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and summer squash are pretty much always part of my meal plans. Lately, I’ve been purposefully been adding more to my meals lately and would like to welcome others into my own personal 30 Days of Veggies Challenge.
The goals are to:
- Eat more vegetables every week. The minimum aim is 2-3 cups a day, but I want to aim for 3 cups minimum.
- Have vegetables be at least 50% of my plate.
- Make sure that I’m eating a variety of colors with at least 2-4 each week from each category- Green, Red, Yellow/Orange, Purple Blue, and White/Brown.
- Try to eat a vegetable that I haven’t had before.
- Aim for 30 different vegetables in one week.
I’m pretty sure that I eat more than the daily recommended amount of 2-3 cups of vegetables. For breakfast today I had about 1 cup of steamed broccoli and 1.5 cups of roasted zucchini, and lunch was a smoothie with at least 1 cup of kale.
Note: That yes, I’m vegan. But in no way do I think that everyone should be. I really don’t know a single diet that doesn’t promote eating more vegetables. (Maybe fruitarians?) Some may restrict certain categories like white potatoes or night shades. If you are following a specific diet for whatever reason, you can certainly participate in this challenge your own way and eat what makes sense for you in a quantity that feels right.
What I really want to focus on is the diversity of what I eat and I consume them. Mixing in more raw vegetables with cooked. Trying to prepare vegetables in different ways- steamed, sautéed, roasted, blanching, and stewed. Maybe I’ll play around with pickling. I don’t fully know yet.
Does the 30 different vegetables seem overwhelming?
It does sound hard. Right now how many vegetables can you name?
The next time you walk around a grocery store, check out the produce section. Look at all the different lettuces- romaine, green leaf, red leaf, iceberg, boston. There are 5 veggies right there. What about peppers- green, red, orange, yellow, jalapeño, habanero. There are another 5. Other greens- spinach, watercress, arugula, kale (purple, green, dinosaur), chard (yellow, red, and green), cabbage (savoy, red, green). We have 15 listed there.
Doesn’t 30 seem like a more realistic goal? Especially as you can swap many of these out in different recipes.
And speaking of recipes, I’ll be needing some inspiration. So I’ll be perusing some of my favorite blogs, recipe books, and search engine to see what I find.
Want to join me in the 30 Days of Veggies Challenge from Sept 1st to Sept 30th? Follow along with my goals or modify them as they make sense with your life. Maybe you’ll gradually increase the number of vegetables that you plan on eating. Fill out the form below for more information on how to join, tips, recipes, and more.
Kate Hamm combines her 15+ years of experience in the fitness industry and high-end resort program development into sought after wellness coaching and adventures at AnamBliss. Visit www.anambliss.com for more information on coaching services and future retreat dates and locations.