What Types of Vegetables Should You Eat and Why?
Vegetables are one of the best foods
you can eat for health and weight loss. But do you know exactly what type of
vegetables you should eat, and why?
Put simply, vegetables are the
healthiest foods on the planet. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals,
anti-oxidants, phytonutrients and some protein (yes, protein). Like a sort of
‘anti-junk food’, they’re naturally low in fat, sugar, salt and calories but
they help fill you up with health-promoting fibre. Unlike refined carbohydrates
such as cane sugar or white flour, vegetables are exactly the sort of
carbohydrate food you should be stuffing your face with on a daily basis.
It’s almost impossible to eat too many
vegetables, because their low-calorie high-water and fibre content ensures that
your stomach fills up before it can be totally overloaded with energy. The only
time vegetables become less than healthy is when they’re over-cooked, or
particularly when smothered with lots of oil, fatty sauces, cheese, cream, oily
dressings, butter, or other unnecessary additives.
Based on information from medical
doctor and nutrition expert Dr Joel Fuhrman I have categorised 5 types of
vegetables for you to choose from every day.
1. Greens
Leafy greens, as Dr.
Fuhrman advises, contain substances that protect blood
vessels, and are associated with reduced risk of diabetes.
Greens are the most nutrient-dense of all foods, and perfect for weightloss. They can be consumed in virtually unlimited quantities. Most of the
calories in green vegetables come from protein, and this plant protein is
packaged with beneficial phyto-chemicals: green vegetables are rich in folate
(the natural form of folic acid ), calcium, and contain small amounts
of omega-3 fatty acids.
Leafy greens are also rich in antioxidant pigments called carotenoids, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin,
which are the carotenoids known to promote healthy vision. Consider Kale, known as the ‘Queen of Greens’, and
which has rightly earned the title of ‘superfood’.
Zero-fat Kale has, per calorie:
·More
iron than beef
·More
calcium than milk
·More
vitamin C than oranges
·And
is packed with potassium, vitamin K, vitamin A, omega 3 fatty acids, and
anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory phytonutrients relating to the prevention and
even reversal of arthritis, high cholesterol, heart disease; as well as
bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate cancer, and several autoimmune
diseases.
Common
Green Vegetables
Here are some examples of some other green vegetables which
you can find in most shops or markets, depending on where you live:
·Artichokes
·Peas
·Asparagus
·Spinach
·Zucchini
·Snow
peas
·Parsley
·String
beans
2. Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables,
especially the Brassica (broccoli) family, are the cancer-fighting vegetables.
All
vegetables, Dr. Fuhrman writes, “contain protective micronutrients
and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables have a unique
chemical composition—they contain glucosenolates, and when their cell walls are
broken by blending, chopping or chewing, a chemical reaction converts
glucosinolates to isothiocyanates (ITCs)—compounds with a variety of potent
anti-cancer effects.”
Because different ITCs can work in different locations in
the cell and on different molecules, they can have combined additive effects.
They work synergistically to remove carcinogens, reduce inflammation,
neutralize oxidative stress, inhibit angiogenesis (the process by which tumors
acquire a blood supply), and kill cancer cells.
Give these vegetables a go!
·Cabbage
·Cauliflower
·Cauliflower
·Radish
·Broccoli
·Brussels
sprouts
·Bok
Choy
3. Root Vegetables
Root vegetables are basically underground plant parts used
as vegetables. They include both true roots such as tuberous roots and
taproots, as well as non-roots such as tubers, rhizomes, corms, bulbs, and
hypocotyls.
Try this mix of tropical and subtropical
root vegetables:
·Sweet
Potato
·Turnip
·Potato
·Carrots
·Parsnip
·Beetroots
·Pumpkin
·Squash
·Taro
4. Onions
Vegetables in the onion or Allium family are anti-allergy, antioxidant,
anti-cancer, anti-histamine, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and
antiviral.
Allium vegetables,
including garlic, onions and leeks, are among the best anti-cancer class of vegetables. They help to
facilitate detoxification and act as powerful antioxidants, stimulate immune
responses and reduce inflammation.
One large European study found significant risk reductions in
participants who consumed the greatest quantities of onions or garlic for oral,
oesophageal, colorectal, laryngeal, breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. This
translated into a 55 to 80% reduction of almost all
major cancers!
Allium vegetables can help to lower cholesterol, improve
arterial functioning, diminish the risk of blood clots and reduce blood
pressure. They are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) supports the use of
onions for the treatment of poor appetite and to prevent atherosclerosis. Onion
extracts are recognized by WHO for providing relief in the treatment of coughs
and colds, asthma and bronchitis. An onion extract was found to decrease
allergy-induced bronchial constriction in asthma patients.
Onions have been used as an ingredient in various dishes for
thousands of years by many cultures around the world. World onion production is
increasing, and now onions are the second most important horticultural crop
after tomatoes.
Here’s a list of vegetables in the
onion family:
·Spring
Onion
·Chives
Isn’t it time you incorporated a daily serve of onions into your salad, stir-fry, casserole or stew?
5. Mushrooms
The marvellous mushroom has phytochemicals such as
beta-glucan, which boosts immunity and the body’s ability to fight off cancer
cells.
Mushrooms may
also help to prevent respiratory infections by
improving the production of protective immune substances by mucosal surfaces
(like the mouth, nose and throat).
Frequent mushroom consumption has also been discovered to
protect against breast cancer, as mushrooms have been found to inhibit an
enzyme called aromatase, which produces estrogen.
Dr. Fuhrman advises us that mushrooms
should only be eaten cooked, as several types of edible mushrooms
contain a potentially carcinogenic substance called agaritine, while
cooking mushrooms significantly reduces their agaritine content.
There are a variety of edible
mushrooms, including:
·White/button
·Enoki
·Porcini
·Morel
·Chanterelle
Nutritarian Vegetable Eating Guidelines
3
ways you can get your fill of health-promoting veggies every day
- Eat
a large salad every day as your main dish – include such raw
vegetables as aragula/rocket, lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, spinach,
watercress, bell peppers/capsicum, carrots, bean sprouts, cucumbers, snow peas
and lightly sautéed mushrooms. Add a nut and seed-based dressing for flavour to
your salad, or mix some pre-cooked bean mix in for extra fibre and protein. If
you want to have some wholemeal bread or whole grain flat bread with your meal,
make sure it’s stuffed with salad as the bulk of the meal.
- Eat
one large (double-sized) serving of lightly steamed green vegetables every day –
enjoy steamed greens such as asparagus, chopped kale, green beans, zucchini,
bok choy, artichokes, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and collard greens. Around
10-15 minutes of steaming is plenty for greens – don’t overcook them, or you’ll
burn off the beneficial micronutrients within.
- Eat
mushrooms and onions every day – mushrooms and onions have powerful
anticancer benefits. Mushrooms are better eaten cooked, because some mushrooms
contain a mild carcinogen called agaritine, which is gassed off during
cooking.
Tom Perry
