DECATUR- We can still hear those dreaded three words: "Eat your vegetables."

For some of us, it started out at the childhood dinner table. Cauliflower became a compromise, broccoli a bargaining tool. But it doesn't have to be that way, and the Lose to Win panelists offered some tips to get in the fiber, vitamins and minerals in these foods.

Be prepared, and buy fresh fruits and vegetables at the store, St. Mary's Hospital Food and Nutrition Services Director Laura Sechrest advised. Getting fruits and vegetables that are ready-to-eat, she added, can help people incorporate them into meal and snack times.

Examples of these include cut and washed broccoli, mushrooms, shredded cabbage and cut carrots. Vegetables such as diced bell peppers, mushrooms or summer squash are a healthy addition to soups, stews, or casseroles, Sechrest wrote in an e-mail.

She added that eating meatless meals at least once a week can help people incorporate vegetables in their diets. Examples could include veggie Panini sandwiches with bell peppers, a vegetable plate with whole grain bread or fruit, whole grain crackers and cheese.

The more color in a fruit or vegetable, the more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants it contains, Sechrest wrote. Many starchy vegetables and fruits are in the 100-calorie range for each serving, so portion control is still an issue.

"I don't think it's possible that anybody can eat too many fruits and vegetables," St. Mary's registered dietitian Sallie Fischer said. "Most of us don't even come close."

Fischer said to be conscious of trying to choose a fruit with each meal and a vegetable with lunch and dinner. Looking for vegetable side options at restaurants is something else people can train themselves to do.

"And I also think we need to have those foods available in our homes," she said.

One of Sechrest's favorite vegetable dishes is roasted asparagus, and she offered some instructions on how to make it. Prepare the asparagus by snapping the fresh spears at the bottom, layering them on a cookie sheet coated with vegetable spray and drizzling and rolling them with olive oil. Then squeeze the juice of half a lime and add sea salt and fresh pepper. Bake them at 400 degrees for five to 10 minutes depending on your preference, and sprinkle them with parmesan cheese.

Annie Getsinger can be reached at agetsinger@herald-review.com or 421-6968.