Vegetables are essential for both parents and children. Vegetables provide dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that enhance health as we age and help lower the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, in addition to the importance of setting an example.
Boost Your Energy with Veggies
Our lives require a lot of energy, whether it’s for pushing through a workout, gathering the kids to make it to school on time, or finishing a major job project. Veggies high in carbohydrates, such as potatoes, peas, and maize, have more calories per serving than non-starchy vegetables.
How to Make Veggies More Nutritious
Although veggies are a fantastic source of nutrients, water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C, riboflavin, thiamin, and folate can be lost when boiling water is discarded or destroyed by exposure to high temperatures and long cooking durations. To prevent your vegetables’ vitamins from evaporating:
- Wash the vegetables first, then leave the edible skins on or trim as little as possible.
- Instead of boiling veggies, steam, microwave, or stir-fry them to expose them to less heat and water.
- It is advised to keep some products in the refrigerator because cooler temperatures help maintain vitamins. For further details, see the How to Keep Produce Fresh Longer – Infographic.
searching for vegetables with lots of antioxidants? Include a variety of veggies from each of the groupings, such as starchy, dark green, red, orange, beans, and peas. Take a look at sweet potatoes, broccoli, beets, and asparagus. Want to get the most vitamin C for your money? Try cooked broccoli or freshly sliced red bell peppers. You may meet your daily minimum requirements for this vitamin with just 1 cup of either vegetable.
What Quantity Do You Need?
Adult men should take two and a half to three cups of vegetables per day, but many don’t. Try to include vegetables in the majority of your meals and afternoon snacks. Try a variety of veggies, and play with various cooking techniques like roasting, grilling, and steaming. Try using vegetables as sandwich fillers and burger toppings, like roasted red peppers and sautéed mushrooms. A sandwich can easily include 1/2 cup of vegetables. Another technique to increase the vitamin content of spinach is to use it raw in salads.
Consider food first
Supplements like multivitamins should not be used in place of entire foods and vegetables. Vegetables cannot be substituted by a pill because of two important phytonutrients: dietary fiber and antioxidants. Additionally, grilled corn tastes much better!
