By Jade Whitehurst
If you’re aiming to enhance your nutrition and sustain a balanced diet, pay attention! I know for some, reading the word “vegetables” made you eager to turn the page. However, vegetables are important to our health and wellness.
So, why are we so quick to skip vegetables and pile on more rice or empty calories? I believe it’s both a lack of discipline and a heart issue. Satan will take an opportunity where he is given one and make you believe that what God has created for our good and His glory is restrictive and repulsive. May I invite you to take a different approach?
My heart’s approach to food did a 180 when I remembered that Satan’s goal was to steal, kill, and destroy me (John 10:10). It’s no surprise that Satan would convince us that what we put into our bodies doesn’t matter. He knows that an unhealthy, sluggish body is less likely to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Genesis 1:29 says, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.”
If we do not pause to consider the depth of this verse, we’ll miss the generous heart of God. The God who made us also provides exactly what we need for sustainability. Who else would know our genetic makeup and what we need on a cellular level better than God?
So now when I look at all the gorgeous fruits and vegetables in the grocery store, I resist the urge to snarl my nose (get behind me, Satan!); instead, I see a gracious, loving Father who has provided what is good for me. When we learn to identify where Satan tries to sneak in his lies, we can fight back with truth and choose freedom in Christ Jesus.
Look, I get it: The brownie tastes better than the broccoli. While the brownie has its place in moderation, may we always remember to invite Jesus into our struggles, trusting Him to overcome strongholds in our nutrition so we can honor Him.
Below are 9 ways I like to sneak veggies into my nutrition:
- Make a vegetable soup: The possibilities are endless here. Don’t be afraid to zest it up with herbs and spices!
- Dip your vegetables: A few of my favorites are ranch, Tzatziki, hummus, or guacamole.
- Add them to a sandwich, wrap, or on top of your pizza.
- Make a vegetable stir fry.
- Season and roast your vegetables.
- Add vegetables to your favorite recipes: Add peas to mac n’ cheese, spinach to lasagna, veggies to an omelet, etc.
- Sneak them into a fruit smoothie.
- Turn vegetables into a sauce for pasta.
- Make vegetable “rice” or “noodles”: Vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli serve as excellent alternatives to rice. Additionally, vegetables like carrots, zucchini, and sweet potatoes can be transformed into noodles by using a vegetable peeler, julienne peeler, mandoline slicer, or spiralizer.
Jade Whitehurst is a wife, mom, fitness coach, and eighth-grade science teacher. You can follow her on Instagram @jadewhitehurst_thefaithfitmom.