Paging Dr. Frischer: Vegetables
Most of us know someone who eats no vegetables. These people may appear to be just fine, but I encourage you to read on to understand just why their diet is so worrisome.
In general, there are five types of vegetables (did you know that these are all vegetables?):
Dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, and collard greens
Red and orange vegetables including squash, carrots, red peppers, and sweet potatoes
Beans, peas, and lentils
Starchy vegetables including potatoes, corn, and winter squash
Other vegetables including eggplant, beets, onions, and mushrooms
Vegetables are low in calories, high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and high in antioxidants that protect damaged cells.
They are a great source of dietary fiber, which keep our bowels moving.
Vegetables can lower the risk of heart disease. They are high in vitamin K, which helps to prevent calcium from building up in the arteries. Their high potassium levels lower blood pressure, especially green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and chard.
Vegetables are low-energy-density foods, so they help with weight management. Water gives volume to food, and fiber takes longer to digest, so they are filling.
Is it better to cook them, or to eat them raw? It depends. Heat reduces the amounts of certain nutrients, and boiling in particular reduces the number of water-soluble vitamins like vitamins C and B. Some vegetables, however, are actually more healthful when cooked, because heat makes the nutrients easier to absorb (bioavailability). Cooked carrots, for example, contain more of the antioxidant beta-carotene, and cooking tomatoes increases the antioxidant lycopene. For those with inflammatory bowel disease, cooked vegetables are easier to digest and less likely to irritate the gut. For those with kidney stones, cooking leafy greens reduces the absorption of oxalate, a plant compound that makes stones form. Some of the healthiest cooking methods include stir-frying, microwaving, steaming, pressure cooking, baking, and roasting. Frying in oil, of course, adds many calories and potentially unhealthy fats.
Diabetics should limit starchy vegetables (including peas), which contain more calories and carbohydrates and are more likely to raise blood sugar than do other vegetables. However, non-starchy vegetables have a low glycemic index (a measure of a food’s effect on our blood sugar), and diabetics in particular should be making these vegetables an important part of their diet.
Low vegetable consumption has been associated with a shorter life span, as it has been linked to a number of chronic diseases, including heart disease, obesity, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers. Vegetables help to protect us from the effects of diseases and aging. Enjoy!