I remember being little and watching Sesame Street. Cookie Monster was singing about "healthy food," and he had tons of vegetable buddies next to him, singing along. All I saw on that screen was a SEVERE lack of cookies, and a bunch of things I didn't like to eat.
For the last 30 years, I have DESPISED vegetables. All of them. In fact, when I first started coaching with Molly, she was trying to get me to eat vegetables. I tried to negotiate that I would eat twice as much fruit, as long as I didn't have to eat any vegetables.
Fast foward to now, and you'll see me eating vegetables with every meal, and sometimes even for a snack. How did I do it? Let me tell you.
1. Molly initially encouraged me to just eat 2 servings of vegetables a day, and it didn't matter when. It also didn't matter what. I knew that from childhood, the only vegetable I liked was green beans. So, I ate two servings of green beans a day. Every. Single. Day.
2. Molly encouraged me to branch out. I didn't want to. So I ate more greenbeans. And also sometimes a red pepper, because they were sweet.
3. I made super awesome bowls, eating all of the normal things I usually would- protein, carb, sauce- and just added a tiny bit of leafy green to the bottom. You know that Mediterranean Chicken Bowl at Panera? I recreated that at home, complete with hummus and tatziki.
Here are some other combos:
- Steak, potatoes, chimichurri, greens
- Chicken, pineapple, peanut sauce, greens
- Taco meat, buffalo sauce, potatoes, greens
4. Don't be afraid of sauce! Contrary to diet culture belief, you don't have to eat everything without sauce or butter. Fats are also a source of energy, and they help with vitamin absorbtion. When trying to specifically lose fat, you might watch more carefully, utilizing more vinegar or mustard based things rather than oil based. But in general, a single serving of a sauce or butter never killed anyone. If you're wondering, this is generally about a tablespoon or two. My all time favorite sauce is balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze. LIFE CHANGING.
5. The final and hardest thing I did was add vegetables to breakfast. I started slow with red bell peppers and onions in my scrambled eggs. Kind of like a mild veggie omelette. Very recently, I've branched out to adding brussels sprouts and mushrooms to my breakfast. They're delicious.
So here we are today. I eat 4-5 servings of veggies a day, and I actually enjoy them 90% of the time. My insides feel so much better with vegetables, and I'm happy to know that I'm getting the micronutrients I need. Thanks, Coach Molly, for pushing me to get here.
I'm taking beta clients starting Monday. You get coaching with me at a super reduced rate. It's open for 5 days only. Think about if one of these spots should be yours.
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