6 Sneaky Ways To Trick Yourself Into Eating More Fruits & Veggies

Are you getting bored eating the same old salad every single day? There’s only so many different ways to spice it up before you toss all your lettuce out for good.

Fruits and veggies are staple foods for any healthy diet, especially if you’re trying to lose a few pounds. But your diet won’t do you any favors if you can’t stick to it for longer than two weeks!

You already know what you need to eat to lose more weight, but if you’re struggling to stay on track, it might be time to tweak the way you get enough fruits and vegetables in your diet.

Pack any meal with all the healthy produce you need to stay motivated with these easy tips for “accidentally” sneaking fruits and veggies into your food:

1. Add fruit to your toast: If you love a good jam on your morning toast, try swapping out the sugar-packed jelly for a healthier spread. Mash up a banana or top it off with some fresh berries to get that sweet taste—without the extra calories! You can even step up your protein game by adding a few slices of avocado to a piece of whole grain toast.
2. Swap bread for lettuce: Of course, lettuce and bread don’t have the same kind of taste, but they can both hold your sandwich together. The only difference is that iceberg lettuce won’t make you feel bloated and weighed down after lunch, like two big slices of bread will.
3. Make “spaghetti” out of squash: We all love gorging ourselves on a big plate of pasta every once in a while, but is a pile of noodles really worth undoing your whole diet this week? It’s hard to believe, but you can have the best of both worlds by swapping the carb-loaded pasta for thinly sliced vegetables. Just bake a whole squash or zucchini in the oven and shred it into thin threads. They make such delicious substitutes that you won’t even miss the taste of regular spaghetti!
4. Cook your eggs with veggies: Spice up your scrambled eggs or morning omelet with fresh vegetables, like broccoli, spinach, red peppers, or even asparagus. A veggie-packed breakfast with just the right amount of protein is the perfect way to start the day!
5. Have chocolate-dipped fruit for dessert: No, the fruit doesn’t cancel out the fact that you’re eating chocolate. But dipping strawberries and bananas in chocolate still beats a double-chocolate brownie any day. So, if you’re having troubles sticking to your diet, this is the perfect way to “cheat” without actually undoing your entire week.
6. Make your own chips: Kale chips were all the rage for health fanatics last year. With just a little preparation, kale chips truly are the healthiest snacks to curb your crunchy cravings. All you have to do is de-stem the leaves, break them up into smaller pieces, toss them in some olive oil, and throw them in the oven. This easy technique also works perfectly for a number of other vegetables, including carrots, butternut, beetroot, parsnips, and zucchini!

Do you have any sneaky health tips to add? Let us know in the comments!

Photo Copyright © 2008 Martin Cathrae/Flickr