Can you name a healthy vegetable?

Vegetables, just say this word and people have some strong reactions.  Some people love vegetables and others not so much.  Last week I wrote about bananas, such a healthy fruit (See:  Enjoy bananas for good health ).  I always have a banana a day and even bring bananas with us on road trips to be sure I can eat a banana.  What about vegetables?  Some of my nutrition students ate few or no vegetables.  When they did their diet recalls, their “vegetable” was often a slice of lettuce on a burger.  Recently I was in Subway and watching a woman order subs for her kids.  She ordered a 12-foot sub with meat and cheese and a lot of mayonnaise.  When it came time for the vegetables to put on the sub, she stated her son didn’t like vegetables.  Not a one, not even a few slices of lettuce.  Pretty sad as Subway actually offers quite a choice of veggies to put on a sub.  When I go to Subway, I ask for just about every vegetable they have except the hot peppers.

Americans are really lacking in their veggie intake.

Many times, I have written about 5 A Day – eating at least five fruits and vegetables a day.  CDC notes that only 1 in 10 adults eat the recommended number of vegetables a day.  This means 9 out 10 people are short on veggies.  CDC also notes only 12% of adults eat the recommended amount of fruit.  This is concerning as CDC states, “Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of many leading causes of illness and death, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and obesity”. 

How much is enough?  The recommendation for women is 2.5 cups of vegetables a day and for men it is 3.5 cups of vegetables a day.  I don’t measure my intake in “cups” but servings.  I try to be sure I get some vegetables at lunch and dinner.  My husband is big on 2 servings of vegetables at dinner which is a good habit to have.

What is the healthiest vegetable?

My sister sent me a good article on the healthiest vegetable.  I was curious as to which vegetable they would choose.  But then they didn’t choose one vegetable as they noted there isn’t one “best vegetable” but a lot to choose from. 

• Dark leafy greens – skip the iceberg lettuce and choose the darker greens like spinach.  Why?  The darker the color the healthier the leafy green.  Dark leafy greens are rich in vitamins A (as beta carotene) and K, provide some calcium and lots of those healthy antioxidants. 
• Cruciferous vegetables – these include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Bok choy, asparagus and more.  Soon in our area, the local farmers will have fresh asparagus.  Not only do these vegetables provide fiber and antioxidants they provide a compound known to reduce the risk of cancers such as colon cancer.
• Starchy vegetables – include white and sweet potatoes, corn, acorn and butternut squash, and peas.  Starchy vegetables can provide fiber, antioxidants and many vitamins and minerals. Your body breaks down this starch into glucose.    Diabetics need to be aware of this and may need to watch the amount of starchy vegetables they eat.  Athletes love starchy vegetables as all that glucose in starchy vegetables can fuel their workouts.  A runner at my gym said that they were in a 10K race and one of the refueling stations offered small cooked potatoes dipped in salt.  This was to refuel the runners with some starch for the glucose and salt for the electrolytes.  (See:  Sports Nutrition ).  
• Bell peppers -   choose yellow, green or red bell peppers as all are healthy.  Red peppers are especially healthy as they have higher content of antioxidants.  But all bell peppers provide a lot of healthy nutrients including vitamin C.  Eat a half cup of peppers and you get your vitamin C needs for the day.  Peppers are loaded with vitamin A which is good for vision, your immune system and cell growth.  Peppers also provide folate, vitamin B6, vitamin E and fiber.  Yellow peppers are loaded with lutein which is good for eye health.

• Carrots – one of my favorite vegetables.  So easy to eat, pack in a lunch and add to a salad.  My sister’s health educator told her to eat some baby carrots for lunch everyday and I started the same habit.  Both my grandparents grew carrots in their gardens and I grew up eating and enjoying carrots.  WebMD notes:  Carrots are rich in nutrients that promote your health.  They contain antioxidants, which may help protect your cells from damage and prevent conditions like cancer and heart disease.  Carrots are loaded with vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene).  Vitamin A is great for eye health and helps prevent night blindness.  Going on a road trip at night, enjoy some carrots before you drive.  Eating carrots may help lower the risk of prostrate, colon and stomach cancer.  Trying to lose weight?  Enjoy some carrots as they are low in calories and they provide fiber to fill you up.

Conclusion:  Are you getting enough vegetables in your diet?  Try different vegetables and try preparing vegetables in different ways and in new recipes.  Packing a lunch?  Baby carrots are easy to add but so are some cut up strips of bell peppers.  Stopping at a fast-food place for lunch?  Find a place that offers some vegetables to put on your burger or sandwich. Even some lettuce and a slice of tomato are helpful to add.  Instead of chips, chose a package of carrots and celery that many places offer.  Dinner?  Be sure at least one vegetable is served and 2 vegetables are even better.  My husband’s mother always served 2 vegetables at dinner. When I told my students to eat 2 vegetables at dinner some were shocked.  That was quite a stretch for the ones eating only a slice of lettuce once a day on a burger.  This summer I like to grow green bell peppers on our deck.  So easy to do.  It is rewarding to go out to the deck, pick a fresh green pepper to add to our dinner salads.  I had a student that was in to growing microgreens.  He was so proud of his “crop” of vegetables and he found a great way to add some nutrition to his day.

Sources:  CDC states , How much is enough? , What is the healthiest vegetable? , include , Bell peppers , WebMD notes    Image Sources:  bell pepper mix , Healthy Food , Baby carrots