The Power Of Vegetables And Your Health

More and more of us have become aware of how important what we eat is to our health. We’ve finally realized we can’t expect our bodies to stay healthy if we aren’t feeding it nutricious foods. But do you truly understand the power vegetables when it comes to your health?

Vegetables are a powerful preventative that contain potent antioxidants and a host of other required nutrients. We should be eating at a minimum 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day but most of do not.

Convenience, fast food, and pre packaged food are the norm for many. Sadly not only do they add pounds to your waistline they deprive you of the health benefits of vegetables.

Studies have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that eating the correct amount of vegetables every day will reduce your risk of developing heart disease, type II diabetes, and some types of cancer. Medical professionals claim that 1/3 of the 600,000 cancer deaths each year could actually be prevented by eating the right amount of fresh vegetables. It’s tragic that people loose their lives to cancer when all they may have had to do was eat properly and eat the correct amount of fresh fruits and vegetables which are so readily available.

Fresh vegetable also decrease the incidence of high blood pressure, diverticulosis, cateracts, pulmonary disease, bronchitis, asthma, osteroporsis, and diabetes. All you need to do is eat 5 servings a day. It’s really not a lot that your body asks for.

In North America we are 5 times more likely to choose a processed snack than a healthy vegetable snack. We are also 15 times more likely to grab a soda pop than a juice drink. So how do we overcome our poor eating habits?

Well one way is to think smarter. Rather than grabbing for those processed snacks, pack yourself a snack of freshly sliced veggies with some low fat dip. Or cut up fruit and take along for a snack. At home instead of grabbing for those chips try grabbing a carrot, a banana, or some other type of vegetable or fruit. Replace the pop with pure fruit juice, fruit slushies, or ice water. It takes some practice to change our ways but we are smart human beings and we can do it! Your body will repay you with extended longevity and health.

Another way to make sure we get the recommended intake of veggies is to try some new recipes in the kitchen. Experiment a bit, get creative. Replace unhealthy ingredients with healthy ingredients. Add thinly sliced carrots to your lasagna, make an baked apple custard, serve up yogurt and fresh fruit for dessert. Let your imagination run wild. Remember where there’s a will there’s a way and if you set your mind to eating healthier it won’t be long and you’ll be in the habit.

To get the maximum benefit from your fresh vegetable intake you also need to eat at least one food a day that is high in fiber. You should also eat vegetables from the cabbage family at least 5 times a week, and you should be sure to mix up the vegetable colors to get the most nutrients. Don’t forget to eat at least one dark green vegetable every day. Never boil or microwave your vegetables, rather steam them or eat them raw.

The fresher the vegetable the higher in nutrients it will be. So the best vegetables are those that you pick right from your garden and then eat. Of course that’s not always an option but try to choose in season fruits and vegetables because they will be the freshest. Community gardens are also growing in popularity because they allow several people who don’t have space for a garden to share in the planting, maintaining, and harvesting of the community garden.

By now you should be realizing the power of vegetables and the role it plays in your health. So why wait to make a new years resolution, why not start eating healthier and eating more vegetables right now?


Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.