Super Healthy Vegetables
Super Healthy Vegetables You should Start Growing Today
Vegetables should be part of everyone's diet, because they contain an abundance of nutrients and dietary fiber. By getting the recommended five to nine servings per day, you can bolster your immune system and decrease your chance of diseases like cancer and diabetes. Here are the healthiest and most tasty ways to boost your body's natural defenses.- Tomatoes: They're technically fruit, but they're almost always served as a vegetable. Tomatoes are chock-full of lycopene, which is known for its cancer fighting properties. They are full of vitamins, and they also help to regulate blood pressure and remove free radicals from our bodies.
- Brussels sprouts: You probably hated them as a kid, but these little green mini-cabbages are loaded with folic acid, which is a vitamin that helps to prevent birth defects. They're also full of vitamins C and K, as well as omega 3s, potassium and fiber.
- Broccoli: There aren't many foods with as much disease-prevention potential. A cruciferous vegetable, broccoli is teeming with antioxidants which reduce the risk of cancers of the lungs, rectum and stomach. It's also a good source of vitamin C, folate and beta carotene, which can boost immunity to the flu and the common cold.
- Carrots: You've probably heard of their benefits to our eyesight, but they're also loaded with beneficial nutrients for the skin and hair. Carrots are the best vegetable based source of vitamin A, and they're also rich in vitamin C, which both help to protect your heart.
- Sweet potatoes (yams): They're a root vegetable, which means they're harvested by pulling from the soil. They are a great source of iron, fiber, manganese, and vitamins A and C, which offer an energy boost along with better regulation of the digestive process.
- Squash: All squashes, especially summer squash, are sources of magnesium, fiber and potassium. Due to its high content of beta carotene, vitamin C and other anti-inflammatory nutrients, squash can help in the treatment of conditions such as arthritis and asthma.
- Bell peppers: Peppers are high in heart-healthy folic acid and lycopene, no matter which color is your favorite. Research also suggests that eating them every day can reduce your risk of bladder, colon, pancreatic and lung cancer.
- Eggplant is full of antioxidants, fiber and potassium, which can protect your brain cells and reduce the risk of dementia and stroke.
- Spinach is a good source of a variety of nutrients and vitamins, and scientists believe that it can help to prevent everything from cancer and heart disease to osteoporosis and arthritis.
- Onions may make you cry, but they're good for those at risk for osteoporosis due to their abundance of a peptide which inhibits calcium loss. They are also believed to help fight diabetes and heart disease, because they're full of folate and vitamin C.
Your mother always told you to eat your vegetables, and for very good reason. With their good taste, not to mention their abundance of vitamins and other nutrients, why wouldn't you grow these vegetables and include them in your daily diet?
This post was written by James Harper on behalf of Boughton Loam and Turf who supply topsoil for gardeners. Please click here to find out more about topsoil.
