Get A Healthy Start Each Day With These Top 10 Vegetables
Just the other day I decided to take it upon myself to do some research. I was curious as to what exactly was deemed the “healthiest vegetable”. Upon searching around, I ended up finding that everyone seemed to have a different answer to what they believed was the very healthiest vegetable. Some people said collard greens, some people said onions, others broccoli! It didn’t seem anyone could agree. I found this amusing, and ended up deciding, why choose just one when there are so many? We all can agree that they all have their benefits, and so for our article today here are ten amazing vegetables that you can eat to enhance your overall health and well being!
1. Collard Greens. A true southern treat, collard greens are wonderfully healthy. They are part of the cabbage family, which could be easily guessed from their deep green leafy structure, and pretty enough to be used in all sorts of culinary manner. Having been used in lots of anti-cancer research, they are thought to help reduce the risks of many different types of cancer. Their leaves contain selenium, sulforaphane, and diindolymethane. These are nutrients that have anti-cancer effects. This plant is also rich in beta-carotene, vitamin E, and calcium.
2. Onions. Onions may not work wonders for your breath, but when it comes to your body, this flavorful vegetable can work wonders. It’s been shown to be a natural agent against tumors, as well as having amazing anti-inflammatory properties. Onions also happen to contain the most active of all flavanoids, - an antioxidant called quercetin. This helps your body ward off the damaging, aging effects that free-radicals have on it.
3. Red peppers. (Bell Peppers) Whether they are being used as a colorful display on the dinner table or adding a perfect flavor to the food itself, these beautiful peppers are known for their ability to add a certain zest to a meal. What most people don’t know, however, is that they contain plenty of Vitamins C and A, and because they are loaded with vitamin B6 and folic acid, they can seriously reduce your risk of heart-related illnesses and stroke. But they don’t stop there – these sweet veggies have loads of antioxidants, which make them another vegetable that fight off the aging effects of free radicals.
4. Sweet Potatoes. Sweet potatoes are great for their variety. They’re sweet enough so that with a bit of brown sugar or cinnamon you can have a very tasty sweet food, but also vegetable-like enough that you can mash them up or put them in a chowder, really whatever you can think of. They are yet another vegetable brimming with antioxidants. – Vitamin C and beta-carotene to be exact. They also have plenty of fiber, calcium, iron, and protein.
5. Broccoli. Shaped like miniature green trees, broccoli is easily one of the most enjoyable vegetables. This is a good thing, as broccoli has been shown to have the ability to help stem off cancer. It contains a substance known as Sulforaphane, which has the wonderful effect of boosting your cell’s production of certain enzymes that fight the development of cancer. Throw in a healthy dose of Vitamins A and C and the result is a veggie that’s as much to fun to eat as it is beneficial to your body.
6. Carrots. Unfortunately for all 10-year-old boys, carrots won’t actually give you binocular vision. They will, however, help improve your vision, and are great for your eyes. The source of this is their rich quantities of beta-carotene. Your body naturally converts this substance into Vitamin A, and without enough of this nutrient one’s eyesight suffers horribly. Healthy amounts of Vitamin K are also included as well as being a plentiful source of Fiber. So be like Bugs and toss them into your soups, stews, smoothies, or eat them fresh and raw!
7. Eggplants. Eggplants are really fascinating, as they’re very good for you in numerous different aspects. Not only are they loaded with copper, potassium, vitamin B1 and fiber, but they’ve also been shown to have great impact on the health of your heart. – It’s thought they can even help reduce your risk for heart-related illness in the future! The rich purple skin of the eggplant is also loaded with antioxidants.
8. Spinach. Spinach is most well known for it’s supposed “strength enhancing” abilities, made popular by the cartoon character Popeye. This line of thinking comes from a mistake made in the amount of iron people thought spinach had. – For a long while, it was thought spinach had extraordinary amounts of iron, but studies have found that it’s iron content is really not more than “above average”. But never fear! Spinach is still incredibly good for you! It’s loaded with vitamins A, E and C, as well as magnesium! That’s quite a lot for this amazing vegetable!
9. Celery. It is my belief that celery, more often than not, is thought of as “rabbit food” or food you really only eat when you’re trying to lose weight as a substitute for more fattening snacks. While it is true, the calorie content of celery is incredibly low; it’s actually quite surprising at just how nutritious this bright green vegetable really is! It’s loaded up with potassium, calcium, vitamins C and A, and magnesium! That’s a lot of great nutritional benefits, and there’s so many fun ways it can be prepared, especially for snacking.
10. Asparagus. Asparagus is one of the few vegetables loaded in vitamin E, making it great for skin health, and it also contains a lot of potassium, vitamin B6, and fiber as well. Another really cool thing about asparagus is two antioxidants it has called “glutathione” and “rutin”. Glutathione has been shown to have cancer-fighting qualities, while rutin is great for strengthening the walls of your capillaries.
We all want to live healthier, more fulfilling lives, and fortunately that can be as easy as tossing a few healthy veggies into your diet. Of course, while we’ll probably always have differing opinions on the “healthiest”, there’s no question that every one of these vegetables is great for you!
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Posted on: Monday, June 23, 2008 at 2:41 pm 
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