Vegetable Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

We all know we should eat a diet rich in fruits vegetables, but what are the vegetable nutrition facts that make these disease-fighting foods so healthy? We've provided a comprehensive chart below with nutrition facts for some of the most common types of vegetables. Benefits of Eating Vegetables

According to the Mayo Clinic, people who eat a plant-based diet generally eat fewer calories and less fat, weigh less, and have lower cholesterol levels. There is compelling evidence that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke; lower your blood pressure; help regulate your digestive system; and reduce your risk for certain cancers. How Much to Eat

The USDA says that most people should eat at least nine servings (4? cups) of vegetables and fruits a day (the average American only eats three servings a day). Make at least half your plate fruits and vegetables with every meal and you'll drastically increase your consumption of fruits and veggies. In general, 1 cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 2 cups of raw leafy greens is considered 1 cup toward your daily allotment. For more information, check out this chart from the USDA's updated "choosemyplate.gov" website. What Kinds of Vegetables to Eat

Choose a variety of types and colors of vegetables to give your body a diverse mix of nutrients. Different colored veggies have different nutritional benefits:

Red vegetable nutrition benefits: red veggies contain natural plant pigments called "lycopene" and "anthocyanins." Lycopene is found in tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, and may help reduce your risk of several types of cancer, especially prostate cancer.

Red Vegetables to Eat: Beets, Red peppers, Radishes, Radicchio, Red onions, Red potatoes, Rhubarb, Tomatoes

Orange/yellow vegetable nutrition benefits: orange and yellow veggies contain natural plant pigments called "carotenoids." These compounds are converted to vitamin A in your body, which helps maintain healthy mucous membranes and healthy eyes. Carotenoid-rich foods can also help reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease, and can boost your immune system.

Vegetables to Eat: Yellow beets, Butternut squash, Carrots, Yellow peppers, Yellow potatoes, Pumpkin, Rutabagas, Yellow summer squash, Sweet corn, Sweet potatoes, Yellow tomatoes, Yellow winter squash

Green vegetable nutrition benefits: green veggies are colored by the natural plant chlorophyll. Certain green vegetables, such as spinach, green peppers, peas, cucumbers, and celery, also contain lutein, which helps keep your eyes healthy. Together, these chemicals may help reduce your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration, which can lead to blindness if untreated.

Green Vegetables to Eat: Artichokes, Arugula, Asparagus, Broccoli, Broccoli rabe, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, Green beans, Green cabbage, Celery, Chayote squash, Cucumbers, Endive, Leafy greens, Leeks, Lettuce, Green onions, Okra, Peas, Green peppers, Snow peas, Sugar snap peas, Spinach, Watercress, Zucchini

Blue/purple vegetable nutrition benefits: blue and purples vegetables are colored by natural plant pigments called anthocyanins, which act as powerful antioxidants that protect cells from damage. They may help reduce your risk of cancer, stroke, and heart disease.

Blue/Purple Vegetables to Eat: Purple asparagus, Purple cabbage, Eggplant, Purple Belgian endive, Purple peppers, Purple-fleshed potatoes

**Go to our vegetarian recipes for some delicious and healthy vegetable recipes. Vegetables Nutrition Facts Chart

Raw, edible weight portion. Percent Daily Values (%DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Iceberg Lettuce (1/6 medium head)Leaf Lettuce (1 1/2 cups shredded)

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Health and Nutrition Facts

There are a great number of health and nutrition facts that are a "given". We are all aware of the many rules that have been handed down for generations about nutrition, but we ignore them. We know, "You are what you eat!" but we eat snack cakes and doughnuts and drink soda pop and chow down on corn dogs, anyway!

The very unfortunate thing about this is that the more we do it, the more we want to do it. Processed foods have an addictive quality that just causes people to never be satisfied. Eating poorly leads to lethargy and poor health that lead to even more lethargy and poor health. It's necessary to break the cycle and introduce whole nutrition to get our bodies clean, active and performing at optimum levels.

People often think that it's too much trouble to eat whole foods. Processed foods are pretty much pure poison, but they're cheap and convenient - or at least that's how they are marketed to us. However, if you take a step back and look at the hype, you are bound to see the truth. Even though a lot of preparation of processed foods has been done for you, a lot of that preparation consists of things you would never choose to do yourself, such as the addition of chemicals, artificial colors, central nervous system wrecking hydrogenated oils, and diabetes producing high fructose corn syrup.

Whole foods are truly convenient! Fresh fruits and vegetables come in handy, natural, often consumable packaging. Preparing the most healthful whole foods takes the least amount of work and cooking for the greatest amount of nutrition and true, wholesome flavor. Although whole foods may cost a little bit more to buy, you will surely see your doctor bills reduced when you change your diet from ground up chemicals and additives to simple, pure, whole food.

When you eat processed foods, your body has to struggle to try to get rid of all the junk that's ground into processed products. On top of that, your body has to try to sustain life on a severely depleted level of nutrition found in dead ingredients. This is a drain on your energy that causes you to just want to sit around and do nothing. The more inactive your are, the lower your metabolism level will be and the less calories you will burn. That's a great recipe for obesity, depression and poor health.

When you eat whole foods, your body works hard in a wholesome, healthful way. It gets natural exercise from processing whole natural foods and reaping every bit of nutrition and energy available. When you eat fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and other high quality protein sources, you are eating foods that are filled with life and that give you life. That spark of life will give you energy and make you want to get up, get out and live your life.

We all know, "You are what you eat!" So which would you rather be, a sluggish sack of chemicals and additives or a living, vibrant being filled with life?

Dr. Gladys Alvarez has spent over forty five years working in different Medical Fields to include Surgical Oncology, Research on Aids at one of our most prestigious universities as well as has been a correspondent who has traveled extensively around the world studying different lifestyles, cultures and their nutritional habits because she is committed to educate the consumer as to the benefits of living a happy, healthy lifestyle through fitness and weight loss. If you have found this article helpful, please visit my website at http://www.drkool.com/ TODAY!

Copyright (c) http://www.gladysalvarez.com/ All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

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