Maximize Your Health: 5 Ways to Eat More Vegetables

What are the Health Benefits of Eating Vegetables? 

Eat a variety of vegetables to gain the health benefits of receiving essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These nutrients help your body function well. Consuming vegetables can also help reduce inflammation which can be beneficial as chronic inflammation has been associated with MDS progression. The consumption of fruits and vegetables can also reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain secondary cancers. 

What Are the Different Types of Vegetables? 

Vegetables can be classified into different families. It is helpful to consume a variety of vegetables because each type offers a different composition of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Common vegetable families include:  

• Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, kale, and collard greens
• Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage
• Root vegetables like carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and radishes
• Legumes like peas, beans, and lentils
• Squashes like zucchini, pumpkin, butternut squash, and acorn squash
• Stem vegetables like asparagus and celery
• Alliums like onions, garlic, leeks, and shallots
• Sea vegetables like edible seaweeds

Tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, and bell peppers are technically fruits that are commonly mistaken as vegetables. Regardless of their classification, these foods also contain nutrients that provide significant health benefits. 

How Many Vegetables Do I Need Each Day? 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that adults consume at least 2 to 3 cups of vegetables per day. 

Achieving this amount can sometimes be challenging. To support optimal health, below are 5 ways to include more vegetables in your meals. 

5 Ways to Eat More Vegetables 

1. Season with a variety of herbs and spices before cooking to improve flavor. Spice combinations are endless. You can experiment based on your favorite flavor profile. Many people enjoy simply adding a dash of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika prior to cooking. When adding salt, stay under the FDA-recommended daily maximum of 1 tsp a day. 

2. Add a dash of healthy oil, like extra virgin olive oil, prior to cooking to improve both flavor and to help your body absorb more of the vegetables’ nutrients. 

3. Bake vegetables at a high temperature to caramelize their natural sugars, leading to a sweet and crispy finish. This method works exceptionally well with root vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and beets.

4. Air frying offers a crispy result with minimal oil, making it a healthier alternative to traditional frying.

5. Sauté vegetables to allow them to slightly soften while retaining their vibrant color and nutrients. 

Eating vegetables reduces your risk of certain cancers. To reduce your risk of secondary cancers, aim for the recommended daily vegetable intake, embrace variety, and explore different cooking methods and seasonings. This can help you enhance the nutritional value and taste of your meals. 

Sources

• Anti-inflammatory Effects of Phytochemicals Vegetables 
• Adults Meeting Fruit and Vegetable Intake Recommendations
• Phenols and the Antioxidant Capacity of Mediterranean Vegetables Prepared with Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sodium in Your Diet 
• Classification of Fruits and Vegetables
• Dietary Intake of Fruit and Vegetables and Risk of Diabetes Mellitus and Cardiovascular Diseases 
• Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in the Prevention of Cancer
• Emerging Insights into Molecular Mechanisms of Inflammation in Myelodysplastic Syndromes