You Should be Eating More Veggies — And Here Are Some Tasty, Affordable Ways to Sneak Them In

We have this idea that healthy eating has to be pricey and time-consuming: Organic produce arranged artfully on a grazing board, green smoothies, massive salads overflowing with finely-chopped kale. Let's be honest here: Hitting up the drive-through is easier, and sometimes, that's what we have to go for. 

But what if we find the balance? What if instead of saying "I don't have the time or energy or money to eat a healthy veggie-packed meal so instead I am going to just throw health eating out the window today", we said "what are some delicious, easy, affordable sources of veggies I can opt for?".

Here's the approach I love: A doctor went viral for offering some options for veggie sources that are more accessible, and IMO, it's exactly the "meet you where you are" approach we could all use.

Board-certified psychiatrist Dr. Brooke (@cookwithdrbrooke) who specializes in nutritional psychiatry creates this content, which also reminds us of two important truths: One, most Americans don’t eat enough vegetables. Two, many Americans are struggling to afford groceries right now. That’s why we need messages like Dr. Brooke’s.

“Salsa is a vegetable. It’s just a bunch of vegetables chopped up and put in a can. Yes, there’s also salt, yes, there’s also seasonings, but the volume of salsa is like 99.9 percent vegetables. So that counts as a vegetable. If you’re putting chicken and salsa in a crock pot, that’s protein and a vegetable,” the expert says. “Potatoes are vegetables…also, canned pumpkin.” So yes: Mixing canned pumpkin into your lattes? That counts as a veggie, per the expert.

It’s worth watching the video and following along, because it’s an important reminder: You don’t have to break the bank or spend all your time chopping up salads in order to reap the benefits of vegetables. Healthy eating isn’t black or white or all or nothing, and this is such an important reminder.