I’ve never liked vegetables.  Except tomatoes.  Except a tomato, technically, is not even  a vegetable.  Getting the five-odd servings a day has always been a struggle.  Frankly, I didn’t worry about it too much.  After all, I was fine, healthy, bounding with energy and all around feeling-goodness.

Until my metabolism caught up with me.  Or rather, I caught up with my metabolism.  My meals had consisted mostly of pasta with an interesting mix of sauces, and when that got old, I turned to rice with an interesting mix of curries.  Suddenly, every ounce of carb started to show on the scale, on my hips and on my face.

Time to fall in love with vegetables.  Here are a few things that work for me.

Interesting Ingredients

Salads don’t have to be made up of just lettuce, tomato and cucumber.  Try adding apples, raisins, nuts, sweet potatoes, beetroot or beans.  That hint of sweetness works for me.

Hot Pasta Salad

Forget the cold pasta salad with tuna that abounds in hotel buffets.  Instead, grill or steam red or yellow peppers, zucchini, asparagus, and add it to the tomato sauce before tossing it with penne or fusilli pasta.

No fresh produce in the fridge? Crack open a can of mixed vegetables, or the frozen kind, toss it with extra garlic and onion, and your pasta will turn into a healthy dish covering at least two servings of vegetables.

Breakfast Soup

Yes, you heard right.  This is my latest trend and it is working fabulously.  I start each morning with green vegetable soup.  Whatever veg is in the fridge (or freezer) gets heated / nuked, thrown into the blender with a bit of seasoning, and voila, there’s all five servings a day right in my breakfast bowl.

As a bonus, I add a heaped tablespoon of flaxseed, and before even starting my day, I’m up on all my veg, my Omega-3, fibre, and a smug grin to go with it.

How about you? Are you one of those of annoying types who actually love vegetables? Do share how you get your five-a-day.

Alternatively, click here for a good solution to the whole getting-the-diet right dilemma.