Weight Loss & Diet Plans

Eat Your Vegetables: 15 Tips for Veggie Haters

Eat More Vegetables Tip No. 13: Even fast-food vegetables count.

You can even get vegetables at your favorite fast-food chain -- as long as you like salads, that is. Look for side salads or salads made with grilled chicken and choose the light or reduced-calorie dressing. Use half of the packet of dressing (it's plenty), and you'll be adding just about 25-50 calories and 0-4 grams of fat to your salad.

Eat More Vegetables Tip No. 14: Don't reward your kids (or yourself) for eating vegetables.

"Studies suggest that when we are rewarded for eating something, then the reward becomes the treat and we will not see the food itself as enjoyable," notes Collins. When this is standard table practice for vegetables, we're taught indirectly that the vegetables are the punishment we have to get through to reach our reward.

Eat More Vegetables Tip No. 15: It's all about the cheese.

When all else fails, you can always sprinkle a little grated, reduced-fat cheese over the top. If cheese sauce is more your style, drizzle it over vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower and suddenly, it's a whole different ball game. Here's a recipe for Lower Fat 3-Cheese Sauce.

3-Cheese Sauce

Drizzle this creamy sauce over steamed veggies for a tasty change of pace.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of flour

1 1/4 cups of low-fat milk or fat-free half-and-half

2 ounces of part-skim Jarlsberg (or reduced-fat Swiss) cheese, grated

2 1/2 ounces of reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, grated

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

Preparation:

1. In a small saucepan, blend flour with 2 tablespoons of the milk or half-and-half to form a smooth paste. Using a wire whisk, slowly blend in remaining milk until smooth. Simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
2. Reduce heat and add cheeses, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir until well blended and cheese has melted.
3. Remove from heat and use as desired.

Yield:
6 servings

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 99 calories, 9 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 4.8 g fat (3 g saturated fat, 1.4 g monounsaturated fat, 0.2 g polyunsaturated fat), 15 mg cholesterol, 0.1 g fiber, 177 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 44%.

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic members:
Journal as: 1 ounce low-fat cheese + 4 ounces 2% milk. OR
1/2 serving (4 ounces) of cream-based soup
OR
1 cup low-fat milk

Recipe provided by Elaine Magee.

Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, is the "Recipe Doctor" for the WebMD Weight Loss Clinic and the author of numerous books on nutrition and health. Her opinions and conclusions are her own.