Vegetables are something everyone should have more of and, while completely changing the way one cooks is difficult, there are some easy ways to start adding more vegetables to one's diet.

Ways to More Vegetables

Some tips for those falling short of their five a day.

Stick it and dip it: Take sticks of crisp raw vegetables for lunch and eat them with cottage cheese, hummus or any other dip.

Have them handy: Always keep frozen peas, green beans, sweetcorn or broad beans. Add them to soups, casseroles or pasta. Serve them as side dishes.

Go green: Aim to eat broccoli or green leafy vegetables three times a week. For instance, stir broccoli florets into your pasta dishes.

Grate it and you will win: A sneaky way to more vegetables, just grate carrots into your sandwiches, salads and burritos.

Bio-availability of essential nutrients: Iron from vegetables is always more difficult to absorb that iron from animal source. As a tip, delay drinking tea or coffee until 20 minutes after your meal. Tea, including herbal tea, and coffee contain tannins that reduce absorption of iron.

No mayo: Mash avocado, mix with 1 tsp lemon juice, and use it in sandwiches instead of mayonnaise.

Potatoes are starchy: Trade your baked potato for a sweet potato.

Instead of cheese or white sauce: Use tomato sauce with your pasta, instead of white sauce.

Pasta primavera: For those who cannot renounce their white sauce. Toss cooked pasta with steamed vegetables -carrot sticks, peas, broccoli florets, corn- and mix with the white or cheese sauce. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Pesticide and fertilizer free: To avoid artificial pesticides and other chemicals, switch to organic foods whenever possible.

Butternut squash: Easy to roast, sliced and sprinkled with olive oil it will take 40 minutes at 375°F (180°C). Try to roast it cubed and sprinkled with paprika.

Broccoli: Try steaming some broccoli then tossing with extra virgin olive oil and toasted flaked almonds. Prepare a warm salad by tossing the steamed broccoli with vinegar and olive oil, or lemon and olive oil -try adding a little chopped chili for more flavor.

More carrots: Juice the carrots. Add carrot juice to orange juice for extra vitamins and great flavor. Prepare a delicious and nutritious smoothie by blending bananas, orange and carrot juice.

Pizza mad: If you cannot live without pizza, choose often spinach, mushrooms, roasted peppers, tomato slices or broccoli as toppings. You are allowed the pepperoni and extra cheese now and then.