You know that you need vegetables to maintain your wellness, as well as your weight loss, but why do you need them, and how do you learn to love them?
Thanks to being jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, fibre and ‘good’ carbohydrates, vegetables are powerhouses of good nutrition. They’re naturally fat free, and can improve your wellbeing as some studies link these nutritious goodies to keeping cancer and other diseases at bay. The British Heart Foundation recommends five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to lower your risk of coronary heart disease, and the NHS says ‘eating foods high in folic acid, such as green leafy vegetables or wholegrains, are known to lower homocysteine levels’ which lowers the risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease.
So which vegetables should make it onto your plate? Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, as well as potassium and lycopene, which you also find in pink grapefruit and watermelon and may protect against cancer. For vitamins B and C, calcium, potassium and the compound sulphoraphane, which can reduce the risk of cancer, broccoli is your new best friend along with other cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and kale. Your vision, skin and immune system can be enhanced with beta-carotene, which can be found in pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens and peppers and spinach is thought to protect against a host of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration (which can cause blindness).
However, for some reason vegetables are hard to love – even in adulthood. You can try snacking on pickles, carrots, celery and cherry tomatoes, or slicing them up and hiding them in a sandwich. Vegetable juices, salads, soups, stews and pasta sauces are good options, as well as shredding vegetables up in mash potato. Use dark lettuce leaves as a wrap to hold sandwich fillings, roast vegetables with a little olive oil and fresh herbs for an interesting variation in taste, or grill them and add them to pasta dishes or enjoy them on their own. The key is to be creative, especially if you’re trying to ensure your kids get their 5-a-day too.
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