Eat More Vegetables - 12 Sneaky Ways

Eat more vegetables when you want to lose weight. You've heard it before and you know the benefits:

Hard to overeat. You can eat potato chips all day and night, but you quickly feel stuffed on carrot and celery sticks.

Feel fuller faster.

Decrease meat content by adding more vegetables.

But eating more vegetables is often easier said than done. Try these painless ways to sneak more vegetables into your diet:

Precut vegetables into serving size portions and place in the refrigerator for easy access. Make your vegetables as convenient to eat as any other snack food and you will eat more of them.

Serve your vegetables on a beautiful plate or bowl. Break out the china or treat yourself to a funky new serving platter.

Serve vegetables in fancy shapes. Use cookie cutters or learn how to make roses, palm trees, birds, and other creations with vegetables. You have fun decorating cakes and cookies, why not vegetables? There are simple courses on the market teaching vegetable garnishing. Check the internet for instructions, too.

Create a salad bar with healthy dips and those vegetable decorations you learned to make. Dips include low fat salad dressing, peanut butter, cottage cheese, and salsa.

Slice vegetables thin and layer them in sandwiches.

Got a shredder? Choose a variety of vegetables you don't normally eat: asparagus, parsnips, beets, whatever strikes your fancy. Shred them together and top with your favorite dressing.

When serving hamburgers, sloppy joes, pizza or any other kid pleasing fare, toss in some shredded carrots or broccoli. Just a small amount will blend right into a red sauce and boost the nutritional value of any dish. While you've got the shredder out, shred more vegetables and package them in ziplock bags or air tight containers for the next meal.

In beef stew, cut the meat in half and double the vegetables. Try adding another vegetable along with the traditional carrots and potatoes. You'll still have the meaty taste, but with lower fat and calorie content.

Traditional nori seaweed wraps form the outer casing of sushi. You can buy nori made from vegetables or fruits and use it in place of tortillas or sandwich bread. Asian grocers or health food stores carry this product, or you can order on line.

Hide vegetables in chocolate cake. Add tomato juice or pureed spinach to the batter. You won't be able to taste the veggies after the cake is baked.

Learn to cook spaghetti squash. A 4 ounce serving has less than 40 calories. Spaghetti squash can be boiled, baked, slow cooked, or microwaved. Once tender, pull a fork through squash to tear out spaghetti like shreds. Ladle on tomato sauce perked up with shredded carrots, mushrooms, and sliced broccoli. Nutritious and delicious.

Try grilled kabobs. Cut bite size pieces of vegetables and grill them on skewers or alternate with chunks of meat. Add a tasty marinade.