Why are vegetables such an important part of your diet?
At some point or another in life, we’ve all been told to eat our vegetables by our parents. Why has saying so taken on an almost axiomatic status? Because veggies are really that good for you! Below, we’ve listed just a few of the many reasons why vegetables are such an important part of our diet:
They’re green and leafy:
Leafy green veggies have a high density of nutrients, more so than regular veggies and are closely linked with several health benefits. Green and leafy vegetables are low on sugar and high on fibre, which keeps you full and reduces snack cravings associated with drops in sugar levels. They’re strongly linked with a decreased chance of cardiovascular disease and have been associated with prevention of different types of cancers. Consumption of more leafy greens is also said to reduce your risk of diabetes. Leafy greens are great for the gut too - all in all - one of the most important parts of your meals! Palak (spinach), saag (mustard leaves), and methi (fenugreek), are some Indian leafy greens that you can easily find locally! You can make them like we traditionally do in India, or you could be a little adventurous and try blending some of these greens into a smoothie!
Veggies are great for people looking to lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. Most vegetables only contain as many calories that are used to digest them, and so you can have literally as much as you want! It’s a great quirk of vegetables. Here are some “free foods” that you can look to when you want a much healthier alternative to a crash diet: Broccoli, sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, baingan (eggplant), leafy greens, mushrooms, bhindi, onion, radish, and even tomatoes are all “free foods” and will not add calories (and might even subtract calories) to your current diet. With this stuff, you can keep snacking!
Many vegetables are filled with phytonutrients. Phytonutrients repair damage to skin or protect it from damage in the first place (studies also show the benefits of phytonutrients in terms of cancer prevention). Some vegetables also contain large quantities of vitamin c, which is great for your skin! Vitamin C is essential to boosting your body’s ability to synthesize collagen, and collagen is great for your skin you’re your hair too. In fact, collagen is a protein which forms around 75% of your skin’s make up (no pun intended) and maintains your skin’s elasticity and strength. Vegetables are also filled with water, and keep your skin hydrated and supple! Some vegetables that are easily available in India and are good for your skin include broccoli, red and yellow bell peppers, dhaniya (parsley), palak (spinach), sprouts, cauliflower, cucumber, shakarkand (sweet potatoes), tomatoes, carrots, peas, baingan (eggplant), and garlic.
These are a few ways in which a simple addition of veggies in your diet can help you immediately and in the long run as well!
Our parents always kept a tab on our veggies, so we put the veggies in a tab! If you’re looking for smarter, simpler and natural ways to improve your health, try out Full Greens. Full Greens is a wholefood effervescent tablet which provides you with a daily dose of plant based, natural nutrition. Full Greens is versatile. It's natural, plant based, vegan and sugar free. It fits perfectly in any diet!
