**This post on how to add color with vegetables is sponsored by FitFluential on behalf of SUBWAY. All opinions are my own..** #addcolor #ad
It is that time of the year where we really start thinking about positive changes we can make in our lives. We hit the gym, we try to make better choices in what we eat and we try to maintain a schedule of good sleep. Sometimes the small changes we make stick. Sometimes, most of the time, they don’t. It has been proven that when we make drastic promises to change something in our lives, we often fail. Bite off more than we can chew, so to speak. But, I am living proof that if you can make small changes, like to add more color, or veggies, to my diet, you can actually stick to your plan. A year or so ago I told myself that it was time to take control of my health. I joined CrossFit, determined to make it a lifestyle choice, and started to add veggies in where I could as well. Truth be told, joining CrossFit was a lot easier than adding in vegetables to my diet. I won’t lie. But as the year progressed I started to learn. Little changes, like choosing SUBWAY® for my quick meals over other options, made quite the difference! Here are some other easy ways to help add color with vegetables to your diet, either by choice or by motivation.
Add Color with Vegetables by Sneaking it In
We do this with kids so why don’t we do this with ourselves? Sneaking vegetables in here and there to almost every dish will help us get the color we need. And we do NEED it! It is estimated that if Americans ate the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables every day, approximately 39,900 deaths would be prevented from cardiovascular diseases, stroke and diabetes and $7.6 billion in medical costs could be saved annually. I, for one, see adding a little spinach to my eggs or adding edamame to my plate as an easy way to add color to any dish I make! Just have some frozen or fresh in your home and toss in a little here and there. You, most likely, won’t even know it is there, but will be reaping the benefits of adding an extra cup of color a day to your diet! Sneaking it in is a great way to add color with vegetables to your everyday meals.
When You Eat Out, Choose Subway
I am really lucky in that my kids love SUBWAY. As we parents know, choosy kids, especially when eating out, are hard to please! So when we are heading home from CrossFit or our running errands at mealtime, SUBWAY is always at the top of their list! Maybe it is the fresh baked bread. Maybe it is that they can choose whatever they want on their sandwich. I don’t know. But we go there at least once a week.
In 2016, SUBWAY & the American Heart Association teamed up to launch +color, an on-going initiative that will encourage Americans to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet and better understand the critical health benefits this change can mean. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables has also been shown to reduce risk of stroke, certain types of cancer and risk of death from all causes. I, for one, want to be around as long as possible to see how my kids grow, so taking care of me from the inside out is a must! Every little step I take to make the best choices possible for me is a choice for them!
Learn a New Way to Eat Them
Opening a can of vegetables or steaming a bag in the microwave is great. You are adding color! But I bet, if your family is like mine, those vegetables often go uneaten or barely touched. So finding a new way to not only cook veggies, but to eat them as well is a must! Toss fresh veggies in grill seasoning for a new flavor or bake them tossed in a little oil and balsamic vinegar for a creamier taste. Any way you slice it, commit to trying a different way to add color with vegetables at least once a week!
When I am out eating, like at SUBWAY, I like to change it up too! SUBWAY offers 10 varieties of vegetables, from cucumbers to spinach to green peppers, which helps me make my salads and subs more ColorFull! I can make any sub into a salad, choose the veggies that go in it, and can enjoy several vegetables at once with wonderful flavor. Or I can add some cucumbers and fresh spinach to my ham or turkey sub to make it that much more colorful. SUBWAY has millions of handcrafted sandwich combinations to create your own custom sandwich or salad, which can offer up at least two extra servings of vegetables to your diet. Which is over 40% of the American Heart Association’s daily recommendation.
Exercise
I am speaking from experience here! You would be amazed at how motivating exercise is to keep you on track with your eating goals! I am not going to spend an hour at the box lifting and running and sweating and complaining and then ruin it all with a bad food choice. When you make an effort to change one aspect of your health, like to add color with vegetables, other things follow more easily! For me, exercise has improved every single aspect of my life, including making the choice to add vegetables and fruits into my diet!
Reward Yourself
This does not mean go out and eat a large ice cream full of toppings to reward yourself for getting more vegetables. It means that you should take the time to acknowledge that you are making the small changes you need to live a more ColorFull life and you deserve a pat on the back. Reward yourself with little things, like a pedicure or that new lip gloss you have been wanting. Something small to help maintain that great feeling you are getting by making the little changes that are helping you live a healthier lifestyle!
Start adding that color to your diet by heading to a SUBWAY today! With so many choices, adding veggies to your diet never gets old! What sub is your favorite?
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