We all know how good vegetables are for us, but we’d probably eat a lot more if they were just that little bit more enticing. So we asked nutritionist, master herbalist and naturopath Elizabeth Peyton-Jones for her top nutrition tips and vegetable switch-ups for leading a greener, healthier life. From easy recipes to healthy snacks, ways to boost our salads to healthy lunches, upping our vegetable intake never looked so appealing.
1. Swap regular rice for ‘cauliflower rice’
If your meal feels somewhat incomplete without a serving of starch, swap your serving of rice with an equally filling dose of cauliflower instead. “Its detox effects will keep your liver healthy, your skin clear and your gut running optimally,” explains Elizabeth. Feeling inspired? Here’s Elizabeth’s tried and tested roast cauliflower rice recipe.
Serves 4 (vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free)
Ingredients
1 cauliflower, cut into florets
½ tsp coconut oil, melted
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Whizz the cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles grains of rice. Toss in the oil and transfer to a baking sheet.
- Roast for 15-20 minutes until golden and tender.
2. Replace salt with lemon juice
“Instead of salt, squeeze lemon juice over the food you’re steaming to intensify flavour,” recommends Elizabeth. “Lemon is a really good source of vitamin C, an antioxidant. In my book Eat Yourself Young , I talk about oxidation being one of the most ageing processes. This amazingly tangy, delicious and highly nutritious fruit is a powerful antioxidant-rich food and it will help drive away the free radicals which are set to damage your cells and make you look older than you are,” she explains.
“It is also the most alkalising fruit you can eat or drink. It turns from a citric (acid) into a citrate (alkaline) as soon as you ingest it, ensuring that your body’s pH balance is as it should be which makes regeneration, rejuvenation and healing much easier. As if this is not enough, it also aids digestion, reduces pain and swelling (inflammation), improves the function of blood vessels and helps reduce fluid retention. As an aside, it also wonderfully flavours your food!”
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