Superpower Vegetables to Add to Your Diet

Fruits and Veggies – so good for our health.  Last week I highlighted the September 2018 issue of Consumer Reports which contained the article Fruit and Veggie Superpowers.  I discussed the many fruits that are super healthy and especially good ones to add to your diet.  Recently, I was talking to my sister who told me a health professional recommended she add some vegetables to her lunch.  Her lunch was already pretty healthy.  She told the health professional she might eat an apple, yogurt and an egg sandwich for lunch.   Good choices.  The health professional recommended she add some vegetables like steamed broccoli, green beans, yellow beans.  I always go back to the 5 A DAY recommendation as everyone should try to include 5 or more fruits and vegetables a day in their diet.  So, if you are trying to add more vegetables to your day, which vegetables are considered super vegetables by Consumer Reports?  

What are some reason fruits and veggies are so good for your health?  One is the fruit and veggie food groups add unique vitamins and minerals to your day.  Fruits and veggies add vitamin C and vitamin K.   Also, many of the B vitamins like folate which are considered the energy vitamins.  And many people don’t realize how important COLOR is.  Each color in fruits and veggies adds different antioxidants to your day.  As noted last week, other foods, fruits and veggies are also loaded with “phytochemicals”.  Sounds bad to have chemicals in our food. But these “phytochemicals” actually help us prevent disease, reduce cell damage and help fight inflammation.  A win-win for our health.  An interesting fact is that each color of the different fruit and veggies have different phytochemicals.  So, varying the color of the fruits and veggies you eat is also a good healthy habit.  

So, what are some of super healthy vegetables in the article 10 Super-Healthy Sumer Fruits and Vegetables you can add to your day?

Superpower Fruits

• Bell Peppers – not just green bell peppers but red and yellow too.  Add some chopped green peppers to that frozen pizza you are making.  Add some chopped red bell pepper to the spring salad mix when making a salad for dinner.  Surprisingly, bell peppers are higher in vitamin C than an orange.  One half cup chopped green pepper provides 60 mg of vitamin C which is considered 100% of your Daily Value.  Bell peppers are also a good source of vitamin A (beta carotene), the B vitamin folate and fiber which so many Americans are lacking in their diet.  Shopping recently, I noticed a mother putting in her cart the package of 3 bell peppers containing a red, yellow and green bell pepper.   She said her kids liked the different colors.  I don’t think she realized that each color was adding different antioxidants to her kids’ day.  But varying the colors is a healthy thing to do.   

• Corn – a summer treat is fresh corn on the cob.  Who doesn’t like it at a summer cook out?  Some people seem to shun corn as they think it is to high in starch.  But corn is considered a veggie with superpowers for being so good for your health.  Why?  First, corn is a good source of fiber.  The yellow color of corn provides those important phytochemicals such as lutein which is good for your eyes.  Corn provides two important minerals – potassium and magnesium.   Potassium is the mineral that helps counteract the effects of sodium as potassium helps lower your blood pressure.  And corn is not high in calories.  One medium ear of corn on the cob has only 100 calories.  (So easy to cook corn on the cob.  I leave the husks on, soak in plain water in the sink for a bit, drain a little and then microwave the ears, husk and all.  The corn in its husk steams nicely in the microwave.)

• Tomatoes -  I am not a fan of the hard as a rock winter tomato.  But come summer, the fresh tomatoes from the Farmer’s Markets are delicious.  Las night we enjoyed bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.   A summer treat.  Tomatoes add the red color to your diet along with the healthy phytochemicals lutein, and lycopene.  According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), processed tomatoes account for most of the lycopene we get in our diets.  Think pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato soup.  What is lycopene good for?  NIH says lycopene may reduce our risk of cancer and heart disease.  Tomatoes are very low in calories, a whole medium tomato has only 22 calories.  Tomatoes also provide the minerals potassium and magnesium and the vitamins C and A (beta carotene).

 

• Zucchini – Why do so many low-carb diets promote zucchini?  Because zucchini is so low in carbs and low in calories.  A half cup of cooked zucchini provides only 14 calories.  Both zucchini and summer squash provide vitamin A (beta carotene), the energy B vitamins, and vitamin C.
• Eggplant – Yet another color you can add to your diet – purple.  The purple color provides the anthocyanin phytochemicals.  Eggplant is another veggie that add some potassium to your day.  And another veggie very low in calories as one cup cooked has only 35 calories.   Consumer Reports recommends spritzing the eggplant with olive oil cooking spray before you grill or roast it. 

This week pack some superpower veggies in your lunch.  Try some strips of cut up bell peppers, enjoy that bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich.  Buy some fresh corn at the Farmer’s market and try microwaving it, husk and all.  By adding veggies to your day you not only will be adding those energy-boosting B vitamins but also many phytochemicals that help fight disease and promote good health.  Remember to vary the color to get even more nutritional benefit from the veggies you add to your day.

Sources:  Fruit and Veggie Superpowers, 10 Super-Healthy Sumer Fruits and Vegetables, vitamin C, lutein, lycopene, tomatoes, calories, calories, provide, calories, spritzing, energy-boosting B vitamins   Images:  corn, peppers , tomatoes