Vegetables to Add to Your Diet

Vegetables and fruits are health-friendly. They are packed with high amounts of vitamins and minerals. Vegetables especially are rich in fiber, which plays an important role in the movement of the bowel and the improvement of the quality of your life. In addition, some of them have small amounts of calories, which make them good choices for you if you want to go on a weight loss journey. However, some vegetables have proven to have better health-supporting benefits than others. Some of these vegetables are good at reducing the risks of some severe and mild health conditions, especially inflammation. Thus, in a bid to prevent, manage or treat some health conditions, you should try adding one or more of the following vegetables to your diet.

This article elaborates on 9 vegetables that have been confirmed by science to be the healthiest vegetables in the world and why you should add them to your diet.

Spinach

Spinach is the top on the list of the healthiest vegetables in the world. This is because its nutritional profile is the most impressive of the other vegetables. According to experts, 30 grams of spinach contains over 50% of the required daily intake value of vitamin A and 100% of the required daily intake of vitamin K. This same amount of spinach contains just 7 calories. On the one hand, it is rich in essential vitamins that can improve your health, and on the other hand, it has very few calories, which makes it a great choice and addition to your weight loss diet.

In addition, spinach is said to contain high amounts of antioxidants, such that it has the tendency to reduce your risks of developing chronic health conditions. It has also been discovered that spinach is packed with antioxidants that can help in the prevention and management of cancer. Blood pressure regulation, as well as the improvement of heart health, are also health benefits of the spinach vegetable.

Carrots

Carrots are vegetables that are rich in essential vitamins and minerals. One of the most common vitamins present in carrots is vitamin A. According to research, 128 grams of carrot provides your body with up to 428% of the required daily intake value of vitamin A. This is huge! The orange hue of this vegetable is courtesy of its antioxidant properties known as beta-carotene, an antioxidant that is also present in spinach and gives both spinach and carrots the ability to manage and prevent cancer. In fact, people, especially men who consume carrots on a regular basis, might experience a 5% lower risk of prostate cancer later in their lives compared to men who do not eat carrots. Furthermore, smokers who consume carrots regularly have a lower chance of developing lung cancer, while those who do not consume carrots have a 3 times higher risk of developing lung cancer. Asides from its vitamin A content, it is also packed with vitamins C and K.

Broccoli

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable. It is rich in compounds like sulforaphane, which plays an important role in the prevention and management of cancer. In one study, the properties of broccoli helped inhibit the growth of cancerous cells, especially in the breasts. Asides from its cancer benefits, it is also effective in the prevention and management of other chronic health conditions. It is known to help in the elimination of free radicals caused by oxidative stress.

Research has shown that 91 grams of broccoli supply your body with 135% of the required daily intake value of vitamin C and 116% of the required daily intake value of vitamin K. It is also packed with other essential vitamins and minerals like potassium, manganese, and folate.

Garlic

Garlic is both a kitchen spice that adds flavor and aroma to foods and also is a medicinal spice. It Is effective in the treatment and remedying of several health conditions like flu, especially when it is used with ginger, another herbal and medicinal kitchen spice. The history of garlic can be traced to the ancient Chinese and Egyptians, who used it for more medicinal purposes than culinary purposes.

One of the most active properties of garlic is allicin. It is responsible for all the health benefits that garlic provides the body with. Some of the remarkable health benefits of garlic include the protection and improvement of health and the regulation of blood sugar. It regulates blood sugar by increasing insulin sensitivity in the body.

The allicin property in garlic has also been discovered to be effective at the inhibition of the maturation of cancer cells, especially in the liver. Thus, in order to protect your liver health from being infested by cancerous cells, you have to add garlic to your diet.

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts, just like broccoli, are members of the cruciferous vegetables and contain similar health-friendly properties. They are also crammed with compounds that can eliminate free radicals that can cause oxidative damage, which can be a precursor to severe and chronic health conditions.

Coupled with these health benefits, Brussels sprouts can also promote detoxification. Research showed that eating these vegetables can help enhance detoxification, which in turn can prevent colorectal cancer. Some of the astounding minerals and vitamins contained in Brussels sprouts include; vitamins A, C, and K, manganese, folate, and potassium.

Kale

Kale is another health-friendly vegetable that made it to the list of the world’s healthiest vegetables. Kale is extremely rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Research showed that about 70 grams of kale can supply your body with enough copper, potassium, vitamin Bs, and calcium that your body needs to function properly. It also provides a reasonable percentage of the required daily intake value of vitamins A, C, and K.

Kale is also effective in the prevention of heart diseases, which is followed by the reduction or complete elimination of bad cholesterol in the body. Kale also contains properties that can help in the regulation of blood pressure.

Ginger

Ginger is a kitchen spice, just like garlic, that has been in use since time immemorial by ancients to prevent and treat various health conditions like flu. Its effects are beyond the kitchen as it supplies the body with numerous health benefits. In the past, ginger was used by ancient people to treat motion sickness, and people who use it today have confirmed its effectiveness in the treatment of this same condition. Thus, ginger is still as effective today as it was in the time past.

Recent studies showed that ginger can help reduce nausea, especially in pregnant women. It can also help in remedying inflammation-triggered diseases like arthritis. This was proven in a survey of arthritis patients who consume ginger regularly. After some weeks, this group of people experienced a significant reduction in the inflammation and pain in their knees. Ginger is also effective in the regulation of blood sugar and the prevention of diabetes.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a vegetable that has a little bit of almost all the vitamins and minerals required for the proper running of your body. It is a great choice and addition to any diet, as, on the one hand, it is easy to incorporate into diets, and on the other hand, it will help increase the nutritional profile of your diet. According to research, 90 grams of asparagus provides the body with about 75% of the required daily intake value of folate. It is also crammed with other vitamins like riboflavin, vitamin K, selenium, and thiamine.

Consuming enough asparagus vegetables during pregnancy can help prevent pregnancy defects in the child and ensure a healthy pregnancy for the mother. Asparagus has also been discovered to protect liver health from toxins.

Red Cabbage

Cabbages are from the family of cruciferous vegetables. Just like other members of this family, red cabbage has a wealth of health-friendly properties and antioxidants. The studies showed that 89 grams of red cabbage are rich with 85% of the required daily intake value of vitamin C and about 2 grams of fiber. These properties avail for this vegetable the ability to prevent damages to the liver and the heart, as well as monitor the cholesterol levels in the blood, to ensure that the levels are not rising.

Conclusion

In conclusion, some vegetables have proven to have higher nutritional values than some other ones. One, more, or all of these vegetables can be added to different diets, as they are easy to incorporate into diets. Asides from the health benefits they supply the body with, they also have great tastes.