By Dr. Megan Parker, ND
Health Columnist
If your mother was anything like mine, she always stressed the importance of eating your vegetables. And we all know that Mom is always right!
Vegetables are essential components of a healthy diet. They provide us with many nutrients that keep us healthy and can help lower our risk for a wide variety of diseases and health concerns. Eating a diet full of vegetables of all colors can help protect us against certain types of cancers and can reduce risk for heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, as well as many other health concerns.
But what exactly is it that makes vegetables so good for us? Vegetables come straight from living plants to our tables. They are a whole food in a very natural and unprocessed state. Because they are so full of life, vegetables are chock-full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that keep us healthy. To give you a better idea of how nutrient-dense they really are: one medium carrot contains 3 times the RDA or recommended minimum amount of vitamin A that we should get daily! Consuming vegetables regularly will help us meet our essential nutrient adequacy for the day and is a lot more effective and carries a lot of other health benefits than taking a multivitamin.
Vegetables are also full of antioxidants that are protective for our bodies. The more vegetables we consume the better our body’s ability to repair damages to DNA and protect it from further damage by oxidative stress.
Another huge component of vegetables is fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that our body can’t digest. When we eat fiber, it is passed through our digestive tract undigested. It helps to regulate digestive functions and clean out the linings of our intestines. Fiber is also helpful to regulate our blood sugars which can help prevent or control diabetes. Eating more fiber helps us feel fuller longer and since vegetables are naturally low in calories they can help with weight control and regulation.
You hear a lot of different information on how many servings of vegetables we really need. The amount really depends on your health goals. Consuming 1-2 servings will keep you from becoming deficient in any nutrients, but that’s about it. When we increase the number of servings we have daily, the more health benefits we will receive.
A 1999 study by Kumudi et al. found that increasing by one serving of vegetables daily decreased our risk of stroke by six per cent. Another study by Jansen et al. in 2004 discovered that eating more than five servings per day was associated with a 44 per cent decreased incidence of cancer. Because of the plethora of health benefits associated with vegetable consumption, we should aim for at least a minimum of five servings daily, but ideally getting at least seven or eight.
The Canadian Community Health Survey in 2008 found that only 43.9 per cent of Canadians are consuming fruits and vegetables more than five times per day. Saskatchewan residents fell below the national average with only 40.1 per cent getting a combined five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
A lot of people are on board with trying to get their five to 10 servings daily, but become confused trying to determine how much constitutes a serving. In general, half a cup of raw or cooked vegetables, or one cup of leafy greens constitutes a serving. To give you a visual representation, one cupped palm can hold about half a cup, while both hands held together would be about one cup.
It may seem daunting to get the adequate vegetables in our diet daily, but start small and slowly increase your servings. At each meal, make sure that half of your plate is covered in vegetables. Chop up veggies small and hide them in your casseroles or omelettes. Every time you make a pot of soup, throw in a couple extra vegetables than you normally would.
Now that you know why eating vegetables is so important, take Mom’s advice and eat up! Maybe we should all have a big salad for lunch today.
This article is intended for educational and information purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Should you require medical advice, diagnostics or treatment, please contact your nearest healthcare professional.
