Monday Challenge:
Non-Starchy Vegetables

Have you tried long sweet peppers? I started seeing them at ALDI's market last summer and absolutely love them. They're super sweet and great for snacking on - try them!

Peppers, like these sweet peppers, are classified as non-starchy vegetables. Non-starchy vegetables are plants that are too low in calorie content to form the center of a meal but they do provide valuable contributions of vitamins, minerals, fiber, water, essential fat, protein, and other phyto-nutrients.

Think of non-starchy vegetables as foods that have extremely high micronutrients per calorie. Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. To combat disease and for optimal health you want to consume foods high in micronutrients.

Animal products, including meat, eggs, dairy, and fish are very low in vitamins and minerals compared with plant foods. And they completely lack antioxidants and phytonutrients. Refined grains, oils, and sweeteners also lack micronutrients.

This week, pump up your nutrition by including more non-starchy vegetables in your meals. For lunch and dinner, fill half you plate with non-starchy vegetables.

Eat them raw or cooked. Enjoy them as snacks.

Eat plenty of salads with leafy greens. Include non-starchy vegetables in sandwiches, soups, and stews. Use zucchini spirals or cauliflower rice in your pasta dishes.

Can you fill half your lunch and dinner plate this week with non-starchy vegetables?

How you feel after just one week of making this change?

Leave a comment below.

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