Surely, mothers know best. They were right about nagging nay, coercing us to eat our vegetables. And now, as a frustrated mom yourself, you’re probably telling the same thing to your own kids.
Fact is, a recent study found shreds of strong evidence that “people who consume seven or more portions of vegetable and fruit have a 42-percent lower risk of dying of any cause, compared to those who eat less than one portion — and vegetables have the greatest impact.”
Clearly, eating your vegetables is the simplest, no-brainer choice you can make to improve your health or stay healthy. Research shows that a vegetable-rich diet can protect against a host of diseases, such as arthritis, heart disease, stroke, dementia, and even cancer. It can even slow down aging.
According to health activist Dr. Joseph Mercola, believe it or not, vegetables could be the real comfort foods. Some vegetables can help reduce bloating, help you handle stress better, help you fight depression, help you maintain a healthy immune system, give your skin a healthy, youthful glow, and the list of benefits goes on and on.
For instance, when you’re stressed, your store of vitamin C gets depleted. And so, you need to replenish that by eating vegetables rich in vitamin C and magnesium.
Eating green leafy vegetables (like kale, spinach, and Swiss chard), which are loaded with magnesium, can help balance your cortisol, one of your stress hormones. Magnesium and potassium help relax blood vessels and keep your blood pressure down. Magnesium also helps in maintaining good muscle and nerve function as well as a healthy immune system. Low magnesium levels have been linked with anxiety disorders and migraines, both of which are aggravated by stress.
A great comfort food (in fact, one of the best) is the avocado, which is complete with stress-busting potassium, glutathione, healthy fats, and much more folate than any other fruit. Folate is good brain food, too. Asparagus is also rich in folate.
Feeling depressed? Take vegetables loaded with omega-3 fats and B vitamins, both of which help reduce anxiety and depression.
Quite A-OK, too, is vitamin K, which helps reduce inflammation in the body, which stress can aggravate.
To ward off bloating, avoid these foods that tend to aggravate bloating: sweeteners (such as sorbitol and fructose), grains, legumes, dairy products (if you’re lactose-intolerant), and fruits and vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and prunes.
Also, to reduce gas in your abdomen (half of which is simply swallowed air), stop drinking with a straw, drinking carbonated beverages, or chewing gum.
Take note: Fiber may be good for the health, but if you have a damaged intestinal lining, eating a high-fiber diet can cause serious health problems. If you feel bloated after taking high-fiber foods, there must be something amiss with your digestive tract.
Soluble fiber (as found in cucumbers, blueberries, beans, and nuts) helps slow down digestion as it dissolves into a gel-like texture. This helps you move and move on. On the other hand, insoluble fiber (as found in dark green leafy vegetables, green beans, celery, carrots) does not dissolve at all and thus adds bulk to your stool.
Take this pure and simple tip for a healthy digestive system: Drink plenty of fresh, pure water every day.
After that moving experience, let’s now move on to the health color wheel.
• One beautiful reason to take veggies is it hydrates skin, keeping it healthy and youthful. Of course, not only do veggies contain 85 to 95-percent water, they also boast a bevy of phytonutrients that fight aging by preventing cell damage from stress, ultraviolet light, and environmental toxins. For youthful skin, try to eat more of these vitamin C-rich veggies: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, broccoli, which aid in collagen formation.
• Brightly colored red and orange vegetables (like carrots, peppers, winter squash) provide beta-carotene and protect skin against the harsh rays of the sun. Tomatoes contain lycopene that serves as a natural sunscreen. Take note, ladies and gentlemen: A Scottish study indicates that fruit and vegetable consumption may even increase one’s attractiveness. The reason for that is the pigments (carotenoids) in many fruits and vegetables impart a warm glow “sufficient to convey perceptible improvements in the apparent healthiness and attractiveness of facial skin.”
• As far as bone health is concerned, fresh vegetables are like rock stars as they offer calcium, magnesium, silica, and a host of other minerals that work synergistically to build strong, healthy bones. One of the fat-soluble vitamins that plays a stellar role in bone health is vitamin K2 (as its primary function is to move calcium into the proper areas (teeth and bones).
• Generally speaking, the greener the vegetable, the more nutritious it should be. And to make sure you get all these powerful veggie nutrients, eat a variety of dark green leafy vegetables plus other vividly colored veggies (purple, red, yellow, and orange).
These colorful veggies sure add color — and years — to your life.