Vegetables for Breakfast

By Kim Mendel, RD CDN

“Eat your vegetables!” An all too familiar saying that many of us have heard at one point in time, or have said to someone else. A survey conducted by the Produce for Better Health Foundation found that the average person consumes 1.8 cups of fruits and vegetables per day, below the recommended serving of 5 to 7. Of this recommendation, at least 3 cups should be from vegetables. A serving consists of 1 cup of leafy vegetables and 1/2 cup cooked vegetables. While some of us at times consume this and probably more on some days, there are more of us and more days when we don’t reach this goal.

Many people will have their first, if any, vegetable of the day at the dinner meal. This is usually one of the reasons why the 3 cup minimum is not reached. So why not start with the most important meal of the day, breakfast? This is a prime time to get a head start on your veggie intake while getting a great start to your day.

By simply using leftover vegetables from dinner such as spinach, onions, broccoli or any other favorite and adding them to an omelet or scrambled eggs or just alongside your breakfast meal helps to jump start your day with part of your daily intake. You can also prepare your favorite vegetables like mushrooms and peppers the night before and use them for a couple of mornings.

Here are a few other ideas to add to your breakfast:

• Add tomatoes, lettuce, onion and/or cucumbers to whole grain or rye bread with low fat cheese or an egg sandwich.
• Lean turkey or chicken sandwiches loaded up with vegetables.
• Raw carrots, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower or broccoli florets; wash and ready to go, and take the leftovers for a quick snack during the day.
• Breakfast burritos with a fast egg scramble with low fat cheese or hot sauce and add your leftover vegetables.
• Wraps or pitas filled with nut butters, hummus or low fat cream cheese make a great base for chopped up vegetables.

Most of the prep can be done the night before or in the morning with a “grab and go” thought that you are eating a fast meal that is also healthy and will give you a boost of energy without the fat and sugar content that most breakfast meals give us.

Many of us will not think twice about eating bacon or sausage, so replacing these with leaner proteins and bulking up with our vegetables is a healthy change and great tasting. Remember, eat what you love, make it simple, prepare in advance if needed, don’t be afraid to use leftovers from dinner and eat your vegetables, for breakfast that is!

Kim Mendel is a Registered Dietician and Diabetes Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program.