My secret to eating more vegetables

Cheesey corn omelette with sweet potato and kale

There are times you want to eat more vegetables and it's like there is a secret or trick that you just need to discover.

Your reasons for eating more vegetables could be any number of different reasons, including:

• improving your health,
• losing weight, 
• detoxing, or
• saving money.  

Vegetables can be the least exciting of all the food groups. It can feel challenging to eat more vegetables. Sometimes I think I'm just a big kid and I have to coax myself to do the right thing.

Here are my top seven ways to eat more vegetables:

1. Vegetable juices - boost your spinach and celery intake with a green juice or carrot juice. It's yummy and refreshing. Apples or pears provide a great base and a teaspoon of honey makes it more palatable. Grapes and ginger are other great additions. Add lemon juice or spirulina for a bigger health kick. 
2. Go vegetarian - if you don't have any meat or fish in the kitchen but lots of vegetables, you make the choice to eat more vegetables much easier.
3. Soups and omelettes - love my cheese corn omelette. It's my staple ready meal! Chuck a bunch of vegetables in some water with herbs and spices to make a tasty soup. Roast them first if you want even more flavour. 
4. Indulge - I rarely eat carbs so sometimes if I go vegetarian I can justify some rice or pasta to go with it. Do a mushroom medley if it's one veg you like. Make it the hero of your meal and add truffles too if you really want to spoil yourself.
5. Variety - doing a mix of vegetables with different colours and textures makes eating your vegetarian meal more fun. You might roast some kale and zucchini, pan fry or boil corn and mushrooms, raw tomatoes and cucumbers then add some rocket on top. 
6. Herbs make a great addition to make it that bit tastier. 
7. Add your favourite dressing or try some different condiments - there are some posh lovely dressings that make it seem like you are going gourmet. 

It's also important to have the right mindset. You have to focus on the positives and see it as a treat for your body. Feel good about yourself that you are eating more vegetables and then it becomes easier to do it. 

On a good day, I might have seven servings of vegetables. Beat your own personal best and brag about it. A bit of competition can be encouraging. 

Set one day or meal a week if your goal is to eat more vegetables. Dive in and try for three days or a week. If I'm going out for dinner, I might try to do a veg based meal that day to balance the day out.

Feel proud of yourself that you are taking steps towards eating more vegetables.