We all know veggies, especially leafy vegetables, are healthy for us as they provide an ample amount of essential vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, dietary fibers, and antioxidants. Missing these essential nutrients can seriously affect our overall health. There are many signs by which our body is expressing its basic nutritional needs to function correctly. Let's check out how our body is indicating to us if we don't eat enough vegetables.
Bruising easily
vitamin C plays a crucial role in collagen production, a protein found in the skin. Inadequate collagen production can lead to bruises (blackish blue patches on the skin) easily. vitamin C is found in fruits, and green vegetables, especially dark leafy vegetables, so missing these fruits and veggies can lead to vitamin C deficiency.
Tired all the time
The deficiency of iron, folate, and Vitamin B12 can cause anemia resulting in fatigue and tiredness. B vitamins and iron are found in dark leafy vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, amaranth leaves, kale, coriander, mint, basil leaves, etc.
Frequent Muscle Cramps
Too little Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium in your diet can contribute to muscle cramps. Fruits and vegetables such as peas, spinach, mushrooms, cucumber, kale, broccoli are the richest sources of these minerals and can prevent muscle cramps.
Always Feel Hungry
Refined grains and sugar can lead to many micronutrients, especially dietary fiber deficiencies, and cause hunger. Dietary fiber-rich green vegetables provide a sense of fullness (satiety) and delay emptying in the gut, which makes us feel fuller for longer and keeps hunger at bay.
Frequent Cold and Flu
Our immune system protects us from the common cold, cough, and Flu by fighting against foreign invaders like bacteria, viruses, etc. And to keep our immune system strong, vitamin C enriched foods such as green vegetables are vital to add to our daily diet. Lacking vegetables weakens the body's immune system. So stock up your fridge with dark leafy green vegetables, an excellent source of vitamin C, to boost your immune system and help shorten the recovery time.
Bleeding Gums
Eating vitamin C-rich vegetables can strengthen the connective tissues and help fight off the gum inflammation that causes bleeding gums. vitamin C deficiency can weaken the gum tissues and become inflamed, and eventually begin to bleed.
Foggy Memory/Forgetfulness
While occasional fogginess/forgetfulness is entirely normal and can affect all ages, but with ages, the brain's processing speed and efficiency decline due to lack of nutrients. Lutein, an Antioxidant is responsible for improving learning and memory, can be found in a variety of vegetables such as leafy greens, tomato, carrots, and broccoli. Adding them to the daily diet can boost your memory and brainpower.
Constipated
Dietary fiber especially adds bulk to the stool and helps the stool pass more easily through the intestines, thus provide ease in defecation. Its deficiency can keep you from getting constipated. Foods rich in soluble fiber include peas, leafy greens, beans, asparagus, broccoli, etc.
Dry, Bumpy, and Tired Skin
vitamin C antioxidant activity protects against Free-radicals damage induced by oxidative damage, which can damage our skin. Plus, it also helps in making collagen protein found in the skin, thus help in maintaining the skin elasticity and promote supple and youthful skin. vitamin C is mainly found in green veggies and citrus fruits. So don't forget to add them to the daily diet.
TAKE AWAY
Considering green vegetables contain essential nutrients that help to prevents many unwanted conditions, It's necessary to figure out whether you are getting enough green vegetables from a daily diet or not. The ICMR Dietary guidelines have recommended 8-12 servings of fruits and vegetables every day but. On average, only 2-3 servings we can consume daily.\
If you're experiencing the above signs, it is high time to start adding more green vegetables into your diet. Unlike other food groups, it's tough to eat too many green vegetables. Find some way to incorporate more into your daily diet. Try smoothies, juicing, pureed soups, salads, etc. You can also consider DAILY GREENS to get your vital nutrients on the go.
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