Eat Your Greens: Delicious Ways to Incorporate More Vegetables into Your Diet

We realise more and more that eating greens, vegetables and fruits, are super important for our health and functioning normal as human beings. It is often advised to at least eat a minimum of 250 gr of veggies and 2 portions of fruit (i.e. handful of berries is 1 portion). However, this is probably the bare minimum and we could better say "the more the better!"

What kind of vegetables do we actually have?

 There are five types of vegetables:

1 Dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and collard greens

2 Red and orange vegetables including squash, carrots, red peppers, and sweet potatoes

3 Beans, peas, and lentils

4 Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, and winter squash

5 Other vegetables, such as eggplant, beets, onions, and mushrooms

Starchy vs. non-starchy vegetables

Vegetables are either starchy or non-starchy. Both types contain vitamins and minerals and are good for you. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, green peas, chickpeas, and lima beans have more calories and carbohydrates than non-starchy vegetables. The extra carbs raise your blood sugar. If you have diabetes, you may need to limit the amount of starchy vegetables you eat. Non-starchy vegetables include asparagus, beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Swiss chard, and turnips. These vegetables are lower in calories and carbs and don’t raise your blood sugar as much as starchy vegetables do.

Health Benefits

Vegetables are full of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that provide many important health benefits for your body, such as:

Improved digestive health

Vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber, a type of carbohydrate that helps food pass through your digestive system. Eating plenty of vegetables can keep your bowel movements regular and help prevent constipation.

Lower blood pressure

Many green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach, and chard contain potassium. Potassium helps your kidneys filter sodium out of your body more efficiently, which can reduce your blood pressure. Green leafy vegetables also contain vitamin K, which is believed to prevent calcium from building up in your arteries. This can lower your risk of artery damage and help prevent many heart health complications in the future.

Blood sugar management

Non-starchy vegetables have a low glycemic index. This is a measure of a food's effect on your blood sugar. Low-glycemic foods have little effect on your blood sugar.

Weight management

Vegetables are low-energy-density foods. They’re high in water and fiber, so they fill you up without adding a lot of calories. Water gives volume to food. Fiber takes longer to digest than other nutrients.  Eating more low-energy-density foods can help you lose weight. Studies show that people who eat four or more servings of vegetables per day don’t gain as much weight as those who eat fewer daily vegetable servings.

Anti-aging

Polyphenols are natural chemicals that give vegetables their vibrant colours. These chemicals protect against ageing in a couple of ways. They reduce the inflammation in your body that contributes to chronic conditions such as heart disease and dementia. Also, they act as antioxidants, protecting your cells against damage from harmful molecules called free radicals in the environment.

Nutritional Values of Vegetables

Vegetables are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These nutrients help keep your body healthy and prevent illness.

Nutrients and carbs in vegetables

In general, vegetables are an important source of dietary fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and potassium. Besides, vegetables fill you up while being low in calories. Starchy vegetables contain more calories than non-starchy vegetables.

Cooked vs. Raw Vegetables: Which Is Better?

That depends on which vegetables you eat. Heat can reduce the amount of certain nutrients in vegetables. For example, boiling vegetables reduces the amount of water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C and B vitamins. Other vegetables are healthier when cooked. Heat makes the nutrients easier for your body to absorb. Cooked carrots contain more of the antioxidant beta-carotene than raw carrots and cooking tomatoes boosts their lycopene content.

Tips to eat more vegetables and fruits each day...

1 Keep fruit where you can see it. Place several ready-to-eat washed whole fruits in a bowl or store chopped colourful fruits in a glass bowl in the refrigerator to tempt a sweet tooth.

2 Explore the produce aisle and choose something new. Variety and colour are key to a healthy diet. On most days, try to get at least one serving from each of the following categories: dark green leafy vegetables; yellow or orange fruits and vegetables; red fruits and vegetables; legumes (beans) and peas; and citrus fruits.

3 Vary with potatoes. Choose other vegetables that are packed with different nutrients and more slowly digested carbohydrates.

5 Make it a meal. Try cooking new recipes that include more vegetables. Salads, soups, and stir-fries are just a few ideas for increasing the number of tasty vegetables in your meals.

Especially for breakfast it is not easy to eat more veggies, also for me. Funny thing is, when I am on holiday it is a lot easier for me to eat for example salad for breakfast, why not at home? I believe this has to do with timing; at home I eat before 7AM and on holiday probably between 8AM - 9AM. Besides, on holiday foods/dishes are prepared for you, ready to take, even breakfast, whereas at home you need make it yourself in the morning, or do some meal prepping. Apart from salad, it is quite easy to integrate veggies, like spinach or tomatoes, in an omelette and have this for breakfast. Maybe something to remember for the weekend when there's more time.

Need some more inspiration? In some of my other blog post I am sharing great recipes for salad and other ways to eat veggies...

1 Let's build a salad!

2 Take your protein

3 Fennel stew, a warm hug in a bowl

Source: Nutritional Science & Dietetics Study

Pics: Unsplash