How to Add More Veggies to Your Diet

The stories of first-year college weight gain are no fiction. The truth is that being away from home and having access to so many cheap fast foods and processed foods makes it easy for many to add on the notorious freshman fifteen. This isn’t to say weight gain in and of itself is bad. But, in general, because these first-year increases generally relate to an increase in processed foods, it isn’t healthy. If you’re finding you’re eating cheeseburgers, pasta, and other quick and easy meals, then maybe it’s time to consider upping your veggie intakes.

Vegetables are a critical component of a well-rounded, healthy diet. Vegetables like peppers can help boost your metabolism to spur weight loss while leafy vegetables can improve one’s focus and memory power. All vegetables contain useful vitamins that work together to improve your body’s immune system to ward off disease. These fantastic foods boost heart health, vision, and so much more.

All that said, there are some pretty good reasons people, especially college students, have for not upping their vegetable intake. The following will look at some common reasons and how you can overcome them:

Know Where to Go to Get Them Cheap.

Money is tight when you’re in college. For most students anyways. There simply is so many other basics you need to spend cash on and when you do have some extra dough, you probably want to spend it on having fun or buying nice amenities for your home. This is true for many and so when you get to the grocery store and see the high prices for basic vegetables, you may feel tempted to pass on by and on to the cheaper processed foods and frozen goods sections.

Stop!

The first part of making veggies a good habit is making them a habit that fits your budget. To that, you need to know where to shop. ALDI’s in neighboring Bryan is going to have arguably the best produce selection at the best price. On the weekends, head out to the Brazos Valley Farmers’ Market for bulk produce buys at the best bargains.

Spice Up Your Breakfast

Many think of vegetables as a lunch or evening thing. A type of side item for a big meal or a salad as a diet-esque lunch. It is the standard way of seeing vegetables, but they aren’t the only way. Furthermore, relegating veggies to only lunches or only dinner side dishes can work against you as it making side dishes can feel like too much work and salads for lunch may be unfulfilling or otherwsie just not your style. No worries, not everyone has to love salads to get their veggies in.

In fact, there is a much better way. You include vegetables in your breakfast. Dice up tomatoes, peppers, and, if you’re feeling gutsy, broccoli and fold them into your eggs for a veggie scramble or (if you’re fancy) an omelet. Like to keep breakfast simple? Check out green power machine breakfast smoothies. Kale and spinach are excellent smoothie materials for this. Especially as these vegetables are full of key vitamins and antioxidants that offer brain and general health boosts.

Make Them Grillable (and start grilling more!)

There are a lot of reasons college students choose to make their home here at The Junction. Some love the massive apartments with high-quality amenities. Amenities like premier oven and stove for which you can make your vegetable-ladened meals. For others, it was the student-oriented amenities like the 24-hour clubhouse and pool house that offer some of the great benefits of dorm living (community appeal) without its many drawbacks. One amenity that we like to think draws a lot of people in is our central outdoor recreational area that is outfitted with a premier luxury pool and some keen grilling areas. It’s these great grilling areas where you can further improve your veggie intake.

As the weather warms up and more people head out to hit the pool, you’re going to want to have snacks. Hanging out is hard work, after all. Plus, when you have snacks like burgers and kebobs, you have a party. These kebobs and this type of afternoon fun also makes for the perfect excuse to get more vegetables in. Veggie kebobs with peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and similar items are easy to make and easy to throw on a ready grill. Add your favorite seasonings and you have something that is savory, healthy, and filling.

Looking For a New Place to Live? Learn More About the Junction Cottages & Townhomes

Being a college town, College Sation and its surrounding areas do offer a lot of opportunities for apartment hunters. That said, we offer our residents more than most any place you will find in the county. Contact our team today to learn more and schedule a walk-through.