| 14 March |
Vegetables Are Important |
You have probably heard quite often how important it is that you eat a healthy supply of vegetables each day. In fact, the food pyramid recommends that your daily diet contain a minimum of vegetable servings each day. You may wonder why it’s so critically important to eat this many vegetables per day. The primary reason is that there are essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that your body can only obtain from vegetables. Even in cases where you may be able to obtain needed vitamins from other sources, research indicates that the best source of vitamins and nutrients are still only available through natural sources such as vitamins.
It was no coincidence that Popeye made the thought of eating spinach to gain strength famous. Spinach contains a tremendous source of Vitamin A; a nutrient the human body needs in order to produce cells and tissue.
Vegetables such as broccoli, potatoes, peppers, cauliflower and peas are excellent sources of Vitamin C; although certain fruits are typically associated with containing large sources of this important vitamin. With appropriate levels of vitamin C the body is able to maintain a healthy immune system and produce collagen; which is critical in the process of binding cells together.
Mustard and turnip greens are some of the few vegetables than contain Vitamin E; which has proven to be important in increasing blood flow as well as dispersing oxygen throughout the body. The nutrients present in these vegetables also to defend the body against tissue damage.
If you tend to remove the skins from potatoes before you eat them, you might want to consider as potato skins are a good source of iodine. Without iodine, the body is not able to function properly. In fact, iodine deficiencies can lead to serious health issues. If you suffer from high blood pressure and want to reduce your salt intake without disrupting your body’s supply of iodine, be sure and leave those potato skins on.
Like iodine, zinc is also a tremendously important nutrient important to the body’s proper function. This mineral can be found in a wide range of vegetables, particularly legumes such as various types of beans, peas and lentils.
While many people believe that red meat is the primary source of iron, a mineral necessary to fight problems such as anemia, in fact, leafy green vegetables are also excellent sources of iron. If you find it necessary to eat limited quantities of red meat, or you adhere to a vegetarian diet, be sure to stock up on plenty of leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach and cabbage.
In recent years, much attention has been given to the importance of including sufficient amounts of folic acid in your diet, particularly if you are a woman childbearing years. Folic acid deficiency has been linked to serious birth defects. One of the most well known foods to contain folic acid is oranges; however, many vegetables also contain folic acid as well. These vegetables include peas, spinach, beets, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beans and lentils.
Cauliflower is one of the few vegetables that contains an important nutrient known as Vitamin H or Biotin. This nutrient is essential in helping the body maintain healthy hemoglobin levels, which allows the body to transport oxygen to all parts of the body.
Finally, don’t forget to include onions in your diet; as these vegetables are a great source of silica, a trace mineral that stimulates cell production.
So, instead of stocking up on bottles of supplements at the health food store, why not take advantage of the best sources of vitamins and nutrients, vegetables?
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