Vegetable Nutrition
Amazing Nutrition Fact: A fruit and vegetable diet may make you rich
Nov 19, 2006
Vegetable Nutrtion Fact
Your mother was right about this nutrition fact: Eating your vegetables is good for you. In fact, it may save and extend your life. Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, such as potassium, dietary fiber, folic acid, vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin C. Learn some of the ways these nutrients help heal your body and keep you healthy in this article. Food sources of the nutrients in bold can be found in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This information is courtesy of www.heath.gov, a United States government website.
- Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories. None have cholesterol. (Sauces or seasonings may add fat, calories, or cholesterol.) (Read sentence #1 again if you are interested in losing weight. Naturally low in fat and calories means that a vegetable diet is an excellent way to lose weight.)
- Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Vegetable sources of potassium include sweetpotatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash, spinach, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas.
- Dietary fiber from vegetables, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.
- Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant and those in the first trimester of pregnancy should consume adequate folate, including folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development.
- Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.
- Vitamin E helps protect vitamin A and essential fatty acids from cell oxidation.
- Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy. Vitamin C aids in iron absorption.
If these are not enough reasons for you to start getting your vegetable garden plot ready for next year so you can grow your own fresh vegetables, check out this article The healthier you are, the richer you'll get. It relates this amazing nutrition fact: “...a new study published in the British Medical Journal finds the healthier you are, the richer you will be...”
