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Top 5 Reasons You Need to be Eating Green Veggies
By Chitown Trainer Team
Green veggies. Shudder. Memories, or should I say nightmares, of long nights at the dinner table, being forced to sit there until all that nasty looking green stuff had been eaten off your dinner plate come to mind.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk with your doctor before changing medications or starting a new program.
Why are mom and dad torturing me with this stuff? The only reason you ever got out of them was “because they’re good for you”, or “because I said so”. Not exactly the most compelling reasons to put some strange looking and tasting vegetables into your mouth. Well, turns out, mom and dad might have been on to something. As America has made large strides in nutritional sciences, first we began to understand that eating more fruits and vegetables is linked with long-term health benefits.
As research has continued, green veggies in particular have stood out for the vitamins, minerals and fiber they pack into very few calories. Still not convinced that the juice is worth the squeeze? Let’s dig a little bit deeper into how eating things that are green can make your life better.
1. Vitamins!
Green veggies are packed with all sorts of vitamins and minerals that aid in immune, digestive, and musculoskeletal health. The most abundant and important vitamins found in an array of leafy green veggies such a kale, spinach, broccoli, and Swiss chard are Vitamins A, C, and K. You’ve most likely heard that you need these vitamins, but why?
Vitamin C helps the immune system work properly and is needed to make collagen, a protein that helps wounds heal, according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. It also improves the absorption of iron from plant foods. (For most people, regular vitamin C does not prevent colds.)
Vitamin A is important for normal vision, the immune system, and growth and development, and it helps your heart, lungs and other organs work properly, according to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Leafy greens supply it as beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.
Finally, green vegetables are high in vitamin K. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements explains that vitamin K is important for blood clotting and healthy bones, and that people who eat more vitamin K-rich foods tend to have stronger bones. If you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, keep your vitamin K intake about the same every day and talk with your doctor before changing how many greens you eat.
These are only some of the vitamins you will get from a daily dose of green vegetables. Green veggies are also rich in fiber, folate and carotenoids, which we’ll get to below.
2. Helps keep you skinny…
The fiber found in veggies such as broccoli and kale adds bulk to meals, and the Mayo Clinic notes that high-fiber foods tend to be more filling, so you’re likely to eat less and stay satisfied longer. That can make it easier to manage your weight.
3. …and Steadier Blood Sugar
In addition to helping with fullness, fiber can help with blood sugar. According to the Mayo Clinic, fiber, especially soluble fiber, may slow the absorption of sugar and help improve blood sugar levels, and a diet that includes both soluble and insoluble fiber may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
4. Support Your Heart
What is folate and why do I need it? Folate is a B vitamin your body uses to make DNA and new cells. Greens also come with fiber, and the Mayo Clinic notes that soluble fiber may help lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Eating more vegetables is one part of a heart-healthy diet; it does not replace any cholesterol or heart treatment your doctor prescribes.
5. Antioxidants and Cancer: What We Know
Dark green, leafy vegetables contain carotenoids and other antioxidants, which help neutralize free radicals: unstable molecules that can damage cells. The National Cancer Institute explains that free radical damage may play a role in cancer, but clinical trials have not shown that antioxidant supplements prevent cancer. The takeaway: eat your greens as part of a balanced diet, not as a cancer treatment or a guarantee against it.