The health benefits of vegetables are innumerable.
That's a great
reason to
eat your veggies. Apart from that, vegetables add a lot of taste and
variety to your meals.
A plant-based diet is rich in nutrients and fiber, and low in calories,
sodium, fat, and cholesterol, and has been shown to reduce the risk of
heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.
The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) as well as the WHO
(World Health
Organization) recommend we eat at least five servings of vegetables and
fruits. The USDA food pyramid recommends 2 1/2 cups of vegetables a day
for a 2000 calorie diet. It's important to include multi-colored
vegetables in your vegetarian diets as variety is key to getting all
the
nutrients for maintaining good health.
If you're just switching over to a vegetarian lifestyle, eat more beans
and legumes to get your protein
and fiber
content. Eating seasonal and
locally grown vegetables helps ensure your foods are fresher and
tastier, with more nutrients, as well as cheaper.
Studies show that
cooking your own vegetarian meals also helps you eat healthier and lose
weight, apart from the fact that you cut down on your restaurant bills.
A
vegetarian diet coupled with exercise or increased physical
activity, whether it's yoga, masala
bhangra workout or anything else, can help you lose weight
and get healthier.
Vegetables provide nutrients such as iron, potassium,
and magnesium, folic acid, and fiber along with vitamins such as Vitamins
A, C, E. These
vitamins act as antioxidants which play an important role in slowing
the health issues associated with aging.
Potassium-rich vegetables such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, spinach,
lentils, and split peas help maintain a healthy blood pressure.
Vegetables
are an important source of fiber which reduces blood cholesterol
levels and the risk of heart disease. Fiber provides
many
health benefits. It helps maintain the health of your digestive tract
and prevents constipation.
Other health benefits of vegetables rich in fiber such as beans, peas,
greens etc.
are that they help
you feel full with smaller portions, reducing the calories you
consume. As such, these vegetables should be part of any weight-loss
plan.
Orange colored vegetables such as sweet potatoes, and carrots, pumpkins
are rich
in Vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for your vision and skin. Tomatoes
and dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, fenugreek,
collard greens also provide Vitamin A.
Vegetables such as bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach and
other greens are rich
in calcium that is so essential for healthy bones and teeth.
Vegetables such as avocado, spinach, turnip greens, provide Vitamin E
which prevents cell damage. (Source:
USDA)
Cooking Tips
Wash vegetables to remove any dirt. It is better to
wash the veggies before peeling or cutting them, rather than after, in
order to prevent the water-soluble vitamins from being washed away.
Cook vegetables with the peel as much as possible; or
peel as thinly as possible because many of the vitamins and minerals
are present just under the peel. For vegetables like potatoes, carrots,
beets, it's best to cook with the peel to get the maximum nutrients
from them.
Do not soak vegetables in water as soaking can wash
away the nutrients.
When boiling vegetables, use just enough liquid, or
add water as needed so you don't have to throw away the excess water --
along with all the nutrients. If there's any excess water, use it as
stock for making gravy and soups, or for mixing dough for roti.
Do not overcook the vegetables as overcooking would
destroy the nutrients.
Use fresh vegetables, and organically grown, if
possible. If using cut vegetables, use frozen ones rather than canned
ones. In canned vegetables a lot of salt is added as a preservative.
For
more on health benefits of vegetables, check out the related pages.
