I am getting ready to start the "real" food stage. I've been researching what you bandsters are eating and I haven't seen many veggies. I realize that protein is a priority, but how to vegetables fit in?

Being an Aussie, we don't get the heavy emphasis on Protein that the US doctors seem to favour. Most of our doctors recommend a balanced diet of all food groups. I love this because I would miss my veges!!

I tend to minimise the really starchy (high carb) vegetables like potato, sweet potato and corn but I don't avoid them altogether. I DON'T touch chips or fries. I've gotten really into buying the gourmet baby potatoes and one of those boiled is quite enough for me, along with my greens and lean meats. I eat my fill of all other vege types - love broccoli, green Beans, zucchini, squash, etc for dinner. I have a salad for lunch almost every day, which consists of sliced cucumber, carrots, celery, red capsicum (sweet pepper), snow peas, beetroot & unsweetened pineapple, with a scoop of mixed nuts & dried fruit and 2 oz of cheese.

Personally, i consider getting enough vegetables more important than getting 60 grams of Protein in every day!

When i eat a meal, I mix everything on my fork, so I get a bit of a vegetable and a bit of protein. I dont do protein first. I dont think eating a chicken breast and then being unable to fit in veges is a healthy meal. So I eat them together and if I'm getting full, I focus on the vegetables.

As it is, even though I'd eat probably a cup in total of maybe 4 veges a day I still dont think that's enough. In australia we're recommended to eat 2 fruit and 5 veg every day and I dont get through that. But I do prioritise fruit and vegetables over protein. I often have a salad for lunch too and that ups the vegetables to over a cup.

I am not much on Protein shakes, but I do often (maybe 4 times a week) make smoothies for Breakfast because I find fruit hard to eat and blending it in with milk and yogurt is a good chance to get some berries, banana, pineapple, mango or whatever I have in the fruit bowl in to me as well.

When I'm happy that I've had enough fresh food, then I'll comfortably eat protein foods and carbs.

The what have you eaten today threads horrify me to be honest.

LOL! Jachut, if I ever make it into your part of the country, we're gonna have to "do lunch". Our tastes are so similar!

Its a date!

Broccoli and apples at a fancy restaurant!

Out my 4oz I eat both Protein and veggie..... At lunch I eat 3oz protein and 1 oz veggie (salad or veggie). Keeps me full longer to eat more protein in the middle of the day.

dinner is half and half usually. I love veggies but do get cravings for carbs-- sometimes I will add like 1 really small red potato pieces to the veggies to just have a bit. Or a spoonful of rice mixed in.. a little goes a long way.