Veggies, especially green leafy vegetables are an absolute no no thing with most of us. We avoid eating green leafy vegetables and munch on various other junk foods.
But these vegetables are vital to include in our diet as they are packed with essential nutrients, antioxidants, dietary fibre and phytochemicals, that are important for overall health and wellbeing.
Research studies have also indicated the many health benefits of the vegetables on the human body. Below, we list the top six reasons to add more vegetables in your diet:
Loaded with necessary Vitamins & Minerals
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- One of the main health benefits of vegetables is their high nutrient content. They are loaded with vital vitamins and minerals that contribute to growth, maintenance and overall good health. Vegetables are also high in mineral potassium (K), which is important for healthy blood pressure. Various vitamins, such as A and C, help keep eyes, skin, teeth and gums healthy, fight infection and promote wound healing. Whereas, Dark green leafy vegetables are an excellent source of Iron, folate, and Vitamin C and K.
Rich Source of Antioxidants
- - Perhaps most importantly, vegetables are rich in a particular group of a nutrient called antioxidants. These antioxidants fight cellular damage and help to prevent many degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes and help you look younger. Deep orange-yellow in colour foods are loaded with naturally-occurring carotenoids that help stave off macular degeneration and other eye-related issues that crop up as we advance in age. tomato and carrot are two examples of eyesight-protecting foods.
"Eating plenty of colourful fruits and green vegetables is one of the easiest ways for people to improve their general health and well-being."
Source of dietary fibre
- - Another important benefit of vegetables is dietary fibre. It is an important nutrient found only in plant foods. As part of a healthy diet, fibre helps flush bad cholesterol out of your system thus lowering the risk of heart disease. Fibre also keeps the digestive system running smoothly, helps control the blood sugar levels, and may help prevent cancer. Fibre also keeps you full for a longer period of time thus may help in weight loss.
Low Fat and Low Kcal Food
- - Vegetables
- are also a bonus to dieters as they are generally low in fat and calories, hence you can eat a lot of them without gaining weight. Substituting the high calories, processed and refined junk foods with vegetables will slash the calorie and fat intake will make your weight loss journey easier.
Source of Prebiotics
- - Prebiotics are a type of fibre that the human body cannot digest. They serve as food for probiotics, which are live microbes in your gut. Vegetables are rich in those dietary fibres and thus play a role in maintaining a healthy gut microbiome, which can affect the risk of chronic disease and obesity.
Keeps you hydrated
- - Green leafy vegetables are a good source of water and thus help in keeping the body hydrated. You know how to keep yourself hydrated in the next summer now.
Take Away:
We can live a healthier lifestyle by simply emphasizing a single food group to our diet: vegetables. Research studies have proven the many health benefits of vegetables such as lowers the risk of heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Inflammatory disease, cancer and also help you in weight loss. They may be the closest thing to a magic food. One should aim to eat an average of 5 – 8 serving (1 serving- 100g) of vegetables every day.An act as simple as adding a few more carrot, tomato, cucumber or broccoli as a salad or soup to every meal can positively impact your health. Ensuring you get enough vegetables by making smart food choices. Be conscious of what you put in the mouth and always strive for healthy alternatives.
If you feel, you won't be able to stomach a plate full of green leafy vegetables, then just swap these for a tablet of Daily Greens every day.