Your body is a lot like a vehicle in the sense that it requires fuel to give it energy. Just as a vehicle needs a certain type of fuel to function optimally, your body also needs high-quality nutrition.
You can survive on nutrient-poor foods for a while, but you’ll eventually suffer the consequences of such a diet. Calorie-rich but nutrient-poor foods contribute to a variety of unwanted health conditions and diseases. To look and feel your best, you need to make sure you’re consuming adequate vitamins and minerals.
Increasing your vitamin intake doesn’t mean you need to spend a fortune on supplements. You also don’t have to stalk the internet in search of the Flintstones gummies you took in your childhood. While pills and tablets are certainly an option, there are multiple methods you can use to boost your vitamin consumption. Here are four sneaky ways to get more vitamins into your diet so you can look and feel your best.
1. Drink Them
Many people find it’s much easier to drink nutrient-dense beverages than it is to consume nutrient-dense foods. Drinking your vitamins is a quicker way to get them into your body. It takes less time to gulp down a beverage than it does to chew a plate full of broccoli.
In addition, drinking your vitamins may help your body to absorb them faster. This is because nutrients suspended in liquid are generally more bioavailable than nutrients encapsulated in food. When you drink a super greens powder beverage, your body doesn’t have to digest food to get to the vitamins inside. Without chewing a single thing, you’ll benefit from the impressive nutritional profiles of multiple fruits and veggies.
If you have a busy lifestyle or don’t have time to eat sufficient vegetables or fruits, consider drinking them. Many greens drinks taste surprisingly good. They provide an enjoyable and convenient way to get more vitamins into your diet.
2. Sneak Them In
Remember the old saying, “Out of sight, out of mind?” Well, this old piece of wisdom can help you get more vitamins into your diet.
A surprising number of adults struggle to meet their body’s nutrient needs because they don’t like vegetables. Sometimes, even the appearance of a vegetable can negatively impact their appetites. If seeing browned Brussels sprouts or a pile of kale on your plate makes you recoil in horror, try fooling yourself.
Sneak nutrient-rich vegetables into your diet so you don’t even have to look at them. One idea is to mince onions, carrots, and celery, then mix them into ground beef. You can also make more foods that naturally utilize vegetables, such as tomato-rich spaghetti sauce and moist zucchini bread. Hopefully, you’ll soon discover that vegetables can be mouthwateringly delicious when properly prepared.
3. Add More Natural Color
It’s pretty common these days to eat highly processed convenience foods. These foods are readily available at grocery stores and various fast-food restaurants. The problem with processed foods is that they have little to no nutritional value. Sure, they’ll give you a temporary boost of energy, but they’ll leave your body’s cells undernourished.
To help your body thrive, aim to increase your vitamin intake by adding more natural color to your diet. Whenever possible, try to include at least three different colors on your plate at each meal.
Naturally colorful foods indicate the presence of various nutrients. For example, orange and yellow foods like sweet potatoes and carrots are rich in vitamins A, C, and B. Green foods like Swiss chard and broccoli are chock-full of vitamins A and K, as well as many other nutrients. A cup of red foods like tomatoes contain nearly 100% of your daily vitamin C needs and 25% of your vitamin A needs.
4. Disguise Them as Treats
Nutrient-dense foods don’t always have to taste healthy to be healthy. There are various ways you can transform foods that may not taste too good on their own into delicious treats. Best of all, you can eat these treats with minimal guilt because they’re more nutritious than standard treats.
This solution can help people who want to consume more vitamins but can’t stand the taste or texture of vegetables. It’s also an ingenious way to get kids to eat more fruits and veggies without realizing that’s what they’re doing.
As mentioned already, you can consume fruits and vegetables in the form of flavored drinks that often taste great. You can also create fruit popsicles by pureeing fruit and pouring it into a popsicle maker. Another great idea is to use vitamin-rich avocados or applesauce in place of canola oil in baking recipes. You’ll not only increase the nutrient content of your baked goods, but cut back on empty calories as well.
In a fast-paced society that favors convenience over almost everything else, it can be challenging to get adequate nutrition. Whether you want to boost your immune function, lose a few pounds, or simply feel better, increasing your vitamin intake is important. Use the above methods to sneak more vitamins into your diet with minimal effort. If you embrace these practices intentionally and consistently, you’ll start to look and feel better before you know it.
