Harvest Health

Harvest Health

Tuesday 10 January 2012

The Year of the Vegetable

Initially I thought that I wouldn't write a blog post about New Years resolutions - too cliche, too common, and it has all been said before.  But over one of many BBQ dinners with friends this Summer, an innocent comment led to me feeling inspired, and I have re-thought my attitude.   My friend made the simple comment that she wished she ate more vegetables.  It started me thinking.  The result is a new found respect and interest in new years resolutions and how they can help us live the life we want to live

The simple, but startling fact is that if we all ate more vegetables, the rates of many chronic illnesses would dramatically decrease.  The need for so many pharmaceutical medicines would decrease.  Digestive, reproductive, skin, joint, mental health and immune system problems would all decrease.  I'm not saying they would be cured or disappear, but the overall incidence in our society would decrease.  I can't help thinking that if there was a magic pill that could have the same effect, we would all go out and buy it!  Eating more vegies, however, is somehow not as an appealing option to many people.



Obviously eating more vegetables is not a new idea.  Mothers have been banging on about it for decades.  Somehow though the message is ignored.  I should say - I'm not a vegetarian.  I'm talking about eating more vegetables as well as being a meat eater. 

Personally, my new years resolution isn't about eating more vegetables, it's more specific.  It's about learning new ways of preparing vegetables.  I want to explore new recipes for salads, dips, stir fries, roasts, anything.  (Initially I thought maybe I would try a new recipe each week, but I think maybe each fortnight is more realistic).  It will be a challenge for me, as I often don't follow recipes, but make meals up as I go.  Currently my meals will contain a pile of steamed vegetables, or sliced raw veg in a basic salad.  I like, however, the idea of developing a vegetable repertoire.

So this isn't actually about needing to eat more vegetables, it's about learning new ways to prepare them.  It's about feeling inspired to start the year with a new energy to learn new things to improve my health.

Back tomorrow with some salad ideas.

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