Our scientists and nutrition experts have been counseling people about the significance of eating a good amount of vegetables every day. If you remember your childhood well then you would probably be familiar with the phrase ‘Eat your veggies’ and how the lack of it will make you suffer. As you grew, you would have realized how important the role of veggies is in a human’s life as they are not only nutrition supplier to a human body, but also offer protection against various diseases. But “how much vegetables should one consume?” has always been an elusive question.
There is a common misconception out there among people that the more veggies we consume, the better it is for our health. But through various researches it is found that this may not be the case always.
Most of the adults in the world are found to fall short of consuming vegetables and fruits lesser than the suggested amount. The quantity of fruits and vegetables intake depends on the age and gender of the human being. According to USDA’s MyPlate, a male should consume two and a half to three cups of vegetables and two cups of fruits per day. A female should consume two to two and a half cups of vegetables and one and a half to two cups of fruits per day.
Here we are going to see the significance as well as few evidences to how many serving of vegetables should one consume to have an optimum health.
VEGETABLES – A POWERHOUSE OF NUTRIENTS
Vegetables contain a variety of nutrients that can be of beneficial to human body to develop resistance again certain type of diseases and to strengthen the immune system to defend various diseases. Heart diseases, diabetes, obesity all can be kept under control with the consumption of proper magnitude of veggies through our diet.
Though the type of nutrients and quantity of nutrients in a veggie is determined by the type of the vegetable, vegetables are generally rich in vitamins, fibers and minerals. In addition to this as an added advantage the fresh produce tend to be low in sodium, sugar and fat.
Vegetables are equipped with antioxidants that offer assistance to battle against free radicals that posse threat to cells in the human body. Generally, diets rich in antioxidants are used by celebrities and athletes as they help in slowing down aging and lower risk of diseases.
The table below contains specific vegetable serving sizes. 4 to 5 portions per day is said to offer optimum benefits.
| Raw vegetables (excluding leafy vegetables) | 80 grams (2.9 oz) |
| Raw leafy vegetables | 80 grams (2.9 oz) |
| Cooked vegetables | 80 grams (2.9 oz) |
| 100% vegetable juice | 80 grams (2.9 oz) |
Here are a top three healthiest vegetables on earth and a few reasons to why you should consider adding them in your diet.
SPINACH
The remarkable nutrient profile has put the leafy green at the top of the table of healthiest vegetables on earth.
30 grams of raw spinach offers 5% (RDA) of a human’s daily need of vitamin A. As the leafy green vegetable includes a good percentage of antioxidants in them, intake of Spanish can assist in eliminating chronic disease.
According to a study, the presence of beta – carotene and lutein responsible for reducing the risk of cancer are detected in green leafy vegetables like spinach.
BROCCOLI
The vegetable that comes from the cruciferous family of vegetables is rich in folate, manganese, potassium, glucosinolate and a byproduct of it sulforaphane. 100 grams of raw Broccoli offers 20% (RDA) of a human’s daily need of Vitamin K and Vitamin C.
In a study carried out on an animal, the presence of sulforaphane in Broccoli was detected to lower the number of breast cancer cells. In another study it is found that the vegetable has the ability to keep away the disease causing oxidative stress and guard the heart from heart diseases.
CARROT
The vegetable is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, Vitamin K and potassium.
128 grams of carrot offers 36% (RDA) of a human’s daily need of vitamin A. They also contain high amount of beta – carotene in them which helps to reduce the risk of prostate and lung cancer.
In a study it is found that regular consumption of carrot reduces the risk of lung cancer in smokers. It is also found that smokers who do not consume carrot possess 3 times higher risk of getting lung cancer.
HOW SHOULD YOU CONSUME YOUR VEGGIES?
Well, there are many ways to consume a veggie; you can do so according to an option that best suits you. But there is a long standing debate as to which type of consumption, the fresh vegetables or the frozen, is the best for human health.
Obviously, the fresh ones have a slight edge over the frozen ones which are the close second best. The nutrient levels in the veggies begin to decline right after the moment they are chopped off from the plant.
