Eating fresh vegetables is so important that they have their own recognition day! June 16th is Fresh Veggies Day!
Fresh vegetables provide our bodies with all different kinds of necessary vitamins and minerals that help keep our systems functioning properly.
Benefits of Eating Vegetables
-Good source of an array of vitamins and minerals- Vitamin A, B, C, E, Magnesium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Folic acid, to name a few. Low in fat, salt, and sugar.
-Lower the risk of Type 2 Diabetes, Stroke, Heart disease, and High Blood pressure.
-Reduce obesity.
-Reduce the risk of certain Cancers.
Selecting Different Vegetables
Try something new! Eating vegetables in season gives your body different nutrients throughout the year. (They usually cost less as well!) Also, vegetables in season tend to have a quicker farm to table process, meaning the vegetables are fresher! Vegetables start to lose nutrients as soon as they are harvested therefore it is in our best interest to eat seasonally. Summer is a great time to eat your way through zucchini, radishes, arugula, cucumbers, beets, and much more!
My favorite website to find new recipes is www.thekitchn.com. Just type in the vegetable in the search bar and several different recipes will be provided. Take a look!
Difersifying vegetables by color is also important. Different colors mean different vitamins/minerals. For example, leafy greens like kale and Swiss chard are high in vitamin A, K, magnesium. Orange vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers are high in potassium, Calcium, Iron, vitamin A, B, C.
Serving Recommendations
For women 31 or older, the recommended veggie consumption is about 2-3 cups per day. For men, ages 31-59, the recommended veggie consumption is 3-4 cups per day, then once men are in their early 60s, recommendation is 2 1/2- 3 1/2 cups per day.
When measuring vegetables not all veggies are measured equally! For example, a leafy green like spinach will take two cups to fulfill the “1 cup” nutritional serving. Check out this website and click “Cup of Vegetable Chart” to see how to measure certain vegetables.
Let us know what your favorite vegetable is or post your favorite veggie recipe link below!
References