So we all know a healthy diet should include plenty of vegetables, but what does “plenty” mean? More than most Americans eat. The average American consumes less than half the recommended number of vegetable servings each day. The latest dietary guidelines call for five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables each day (2 ½ to 6 ½ cups per day), depending on your caloric intake.
If you don’t think your diet measures up, don’t despair, just examine the advantages of eating more vegetables and make a decision to change your habits. Joining a weekly distribution of fresh vegetables from your local farmer is a great way to start. Our 24 week season is just around the corner where you can receive a weekly share of vitamin-rich, healthy vegetables.
If you increase your intake of fresh vegetables to the recommended level, you can expect significant benefits to your overall health. I’m listing 30 ways vegetables will benefit your health. Count them if you want. Do some research and you’ll likely find more benefits of eating vegetables to add to this list.
Eating more vegetables will benefit your health because vegetables are a great source for many antioxidants that protect the body from diseases and cancers and boost immunity.
Vegetables will benefit your health by providing a powerful dose of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. These substances absorb excess water in you digestive tract and help protect against hemorrhoids, colon cancer and chronic constipation.
Man, that’s enough of a reason to up the veggie intake! As a farmer and consumer of lots of vegetables I can attest to the fact that eating lots of vegetables will definitely prevent constipation!
Okay, seriously, diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as vegetables and fruits, reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Fiber-containing vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories consumed (i.e. you’ll get full before you stuff yourself)
Adequate fiber in your diet also helps stabilize blood sugar, which helps regulate your mood and energy level. Now you know why I’m such a level-headed guy.
Studies have proven that eating more vegetables will benefit your health by reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke and by protecting against several types of cancer.
Vegetables are low in fat and contain considerable quantities of vitamins and minerals. All the green, yellow and orange vegetables are rich sources of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B-complex, vitamin-C, and vitamin K. So what do all those vitamins and minerals do? Turns out they do a lot!
Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and protects the body from infections.
Vitamin B complex keeps hair strong and healthy and reduces the onset of age-related memory loss, helps ward off depression and even may reduce PMS symptoms. Let’s all plant a PMS garden!
Vitamin C helps heal wounds and keep teeth healthy, reduces bone loss and improves joint flexibility, helps protect against arthritis and keeps your skin looking healthy.
Vitamin E works with vitamin C to keep skin healthy, helps protect your skin from the sun and may help reduce the risk of eye disease.
Vegetables rich in beta-carotene, like pumpin, winter squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and dark leafy greens, contribute to growth and body tissue repair
and have been shown to reduce the risk of developing inflammatory conditions like arthritis.
Eating vegetables will benefit your health because some vegetables are especially rich in potassium (tomatoes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, white beans, beet greens, lima beans, spinach, and lentils), and potassium can lower blood pressure and decrease bone loss and reduce the development of kidney stones (Ouch!)
Magnesium found in many vegetables may protect against migraines and PMS symptoms. (Another reason for that PMS garden!)
Vegetables are also a great source of iron, which, among other things helps build healthy hair.
So if you won’t eat more vegetables to benefit your health; because they improve your vitality and energy level and reduce your risk of terrible diseases, I appeal to your sense of vanity! Eating a diet rich in vegetables will help you look good! Better skin, better hair. Need I say more?