Why Eat Vegetables

When I was a kid, I made these profound statements to my Mom. “Why eat vegetables?” “Vegetables taste yucky.” It is hard to get past that preconceived notion when your taste buds remembered the boring taste of a vegetable. Nevertheless, the vegetable does not have to be boring. I will explain why you should eat vegetables and give you some simple and inventive ways to get vegetables into your diet.

What are the benefits of eating vegetables? Surprisingly, there are many benefits to eating vegetables. Oblivious to many, when we put a vegetable into our mouth we are giving our body the vitamins and minerals it needs to be strong, so that it can fight off disease and illness. Here are some of the basic reasons to get your daily supply of vegetables:

1. Vegetables are low in fat and give you a good amount of vitamins and minerals

2. Whether a vegetable is green, orange or yellow you can give your body all the calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, beta-carotene, vitamin B-complex, vitamin-C, vitamin A, and vitamin K it may need.

3. They are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect your body from disease, cancer, oxidant stress.

4. They help to increase or improve your overall immunity

5. Contain a high amount of fiber, which helps your digestive system. The digestive system can remain healthier and more toned because the fiber from the vegetables can keep your digestive system clean and clear.

6. Vegetables have a high water content, which makes the vegetable low in calories.

7. Lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure

8. Reduces your risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

9. Boasts your energy.

10. They can help you lose weight. What? When eating vegetables your body uses more energy in the digestive process. This is referred to as your Basal metabolism rate. Moreover, since it takes more energy to digest food, you are in essence eating negative calorie foods.

Does eating vegetables have to be boring? No. Moreover, if you are a little creative in preparing them, you may not crinkle up your nose in disgust as often.

Okay, I'm going to admit it, vegetables were not high on my list of food to eat when I was growing up. Why? It was how they were prepared. I grew up eating, a meat, potato and a “no frill” vegetable. What do I mean by “no frill”? The vegetable was usually cooked in water with a little salt or pepper and maybe a little butter. I did not enjoy that much. It was plain and tasteless.

However, vegetables do not need to be tasteless, and if done correctly, can be easily incorporated into every meal. Let's begin with some simple ways to get those vegetables down.

Soup and stews. - By incorporating carrots, potatoes, peas, and other vegetables into your soups and stews, with a favorite meat, you can have a healthy, tasty meal all in one.

Casseroles- With the famous tuna noodle casserole I add carrots and peas, or, I create a salad as a side.

Stir-fry - With your favorite meat, you can add broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, mushrooms, and then maybe add pineapple. In fact, you can add many different vegetable combos in a stir-fry. With a light, low calorie sauce to add spice to the blend, you eliminate the “Plain-Jane” taste of vegetables.

Juicing your vegetables with fruit- Juicing retains most of the nutritional value of the vegetables and fruits.

Pizza- Pizza is one way to utilize vegetables and if you add some tasty spices you may not even realize you are eating a meatless pizza.

Cottage Cheese-Finely chop up some cucumbers and tomatoes in your cottage cheese. You have just consumed a protein and some healthy antioxidants.

Mexican Food-Fajitas and Tacos made with peppers, onions, black beans, lettuce with chicken or fish.

Getting more vegetables into your diet can be difficult if you choose to stay with the “Plain Jane” vegetable creating method. Nevertheless, with a little imagination you can eat vegetables and enjoy the food without much thought.

Here are two simple recipes I use to get my vegetables. Then, I will break down what each vegetable offers for your body’s health.

Vegetable Tuna Sandwich Recipe

½ can of Tuna (2.5 oz)

1/8 Zucchini

1/8 Celery

1/8 Green pepper

2 radishes or 1/8 cup of onions

1/8 cup of a tomato

Couple of green olives

Lettuce

Cream cheese

Salt and pepper to season (other spices can be used)

I finely dice all the vegetables, including the lettuce. Then I add the ½ can of tuna. Once all is diced and mixed, I then add just enough cream cheese to bring the vegetables together. I spread it on bread, a bun (I sometimes hollow the bottom of the bun), or I roll it into a wrap.

Chicken Tacos

Black Beans (1- 15 oz. can)

1 chicken breast

1 green pepper

1 onion

Lettuce

Tomato

Shredded cheese

Taco Seasoning Mix

Taco Shells

Preparation:

1. Cut up the chicken breast.

2. Slice the green pepper and onion and set aside

3. Slice the tomatoes

4. Chop up lettuce

5. Take the black beans and mash

Once everything has been sliced and diced, it is time to cook the chicken:

1. Spray some baking oil in the bottom of the skillet, and then sprinkle the taco seasoning mix over the bottom of the pan.

2. Place the chicken in the skillet and bake, turning the chicken so that it is nicely coated with the seasoning.

3. Once the chicken is done, I place the pepper and onion into the mix. I place a lid on the skillet to let everything steam long enough where the onion and peppers are slightly cooked but still crunchy.

4. I heat up the mashed black beans

Putting the tacos together:

1. Place the mashed beans in the bottom of each of the tacos, followed by the chicken, onion and green peppers

2. I place the tacos in the oven for 4-5 minutes at 400 degrees.

3. Remove the tacos and garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and any other garnishes that you may like to put on your tacos.

Let’s assume that you eaten some of the vegetables from those two recipes above. How did those vegetables I just eaten help my body? That’s a good question. Let’s take a closer look.

• Zucchini – Zucchini helps with weight loss and cholesterol control.

• Green Pepper - All peppers are rich in Vitamin A, C and K. They help to fight against cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, and help to prevent strokes and heart attacks.

• Onion - Onions contain Allicin, B-complex vitamins, and many antioxidants. Thus, the onion can help lower blood pressure, decrease overall risk of coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease, stroke, and helps to control sugar levels in diabetes. Thus, the onion is an anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic protector and controller for your body.

• Radish- The radish is a very good source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber.

• Tomato - The tomato contains vitamin A, B-complex vitamins and potassium and other antioxidants that are important to your vision, mucus membranes, skin, and bone health. Moreover, it aids in protecting your lung and oral cavity from cancer.

• Celery – Celery is a good source of Vitamin C and other antioxidants that help to lower cholesterol, prevent cancer, and reduce high blood pressure. Some state that celery is high in sodium. However, according to the Food and Drug Administration, the daily intake is 2400 milligrams. This, by the way, is equivalent to 24 cups or 48 stalks of celery.

• Lettuce-Regular use of lettuce can help to prevent osteoporosis, iron deficiency anemia and believed to protect from cardiovascular diseases, ARMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration), Alzheimer's disease and cancers.

• Black Beans – Black Beans are antioxidant rich, high in fiber, which helps to lower LDL cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar. They help with weight loss because they are high in protein and helps to reduce hunger cravings. They are high in vitamin B6 and magnesium, both of which help to lower your risk of heart disease.

How many servings a day do you need? Nutritionists suggest an individual should have at least 5 to 7 servings of vegetables a day.

I found that just knowing that vegetables are healthy for you, did not help me to understand how these vegetables could help my overall health. Thus, as I began to delve deeper into the “vegetable” and its benefits, I began to understand that vegetables are very potent foods that can help keep your body truly healthy. With some inventiveness, you can increase your intact of vegetables. The positive results to your health may surprise you, as it did me.