Wondering what are the best vegetables to eat? A good nutritionist or dietician can help you with this. I’m located in Irvine but I also do virtual coaching.
It’s easy to focus on “no-no nutrition” — that long list of things you’re supposed to avoid in your daily diet. But it’s much more pleasurable to consider the “yes” parts of your plate, the foods just waiting for you to discover and savor them.
Front and center should be vegetables, since consuming more of them can be the easiest way to improve the quality of what you’re eating.
For many of us, though, veggies are not a first-choice food. “Americans are falling seriously short on their vegetable intake,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Sharon Palmer. “Yet if there’s one food you should consume more of, it’s vegetables.” It’s estimated that some 90% of Americans fall short of the goal to eat about two and a half cups of vegetables per day.
Palmer offered several strong reasons to bolster your veggie intake. “Most experts agree that nature’s myriad vegetables are linked with multiple health benefits, such as lower risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” she said. “These wonder foods are low in calories and fat, yet they’re rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds.”
If you want to give your body more of what it needs, pay attention to vegetables all day long, Palmer said.
“Many people don’t even get their first veggie until dinner time, and by then it’s too late to meet your needs,” she said. “That slice of tomato in your fast-food sandwich doesn’t count as a serving of veggies.”
What are the Best Vegetables to Eat? Start with anything green and leafy.
A top choice for many of the nutrition experts we spoke to was anything green and leafy. “Green leafy vegetables have a plethora of vitamins and minerals, as well as plant compounds,” Palmer said. “High intake is linked with multiple benefits, including eye and bone protection, digestion and gut microbiome boosting, healthy weight, cancer protection and brain and heart health.”
Registered dietitian Jerlyn Jones offered similar advice, citing spinach, collard greens, kale, bok choy and Swiss chard as some of her top choices.
“I couldn’t choose just one dark green leafy vegetable, because they are all great sources of iron, antioxidants, and vitamin A, which helps maintain eye health, and calcium, which helps strengthen bones,” Jones said.
Broccoli ranks a close second.
If you’re looking for something with a little more crunch, the experts were also big fans of broccoli.
“It’s a non-starchy, low-carb vegetable that offers a powerhouse of nutrition,” said registered dietitian nutritionist Toby Smithson, senior manager of nutrition and wellness at the American Diabetes Association. “Broccoli is packed with vitamin C to help boost our immune system, and it also contains bone building nutrients, vitamin K and calcium.”
That vitamin K is especially impressive, said registered dietitian Marissa Karp. “Broccoli has 116% of the recommended dietary intake (RDI), and that’s key for bone health, blood clotting and reducing oxidative stress to the brain, which is a factor in Alzheimer’s disease development.”
“Broccoli is also a good source of fiber that may help slow down absorption of carbohydrates, but also has a double benefit of containing soluble fiber, which may help reduce cholesterol levels,” Smithson said.
More veggies to consider
These experts love nourishing foods, so it’s no wonder they had a great list of other options. When was the last time you ate sweet potatoes? Radishes? Artichokes? Here’s what our sources had to say about these high-nutrition, terrific-tasting favorites.
Artichokes:
Karp raised her hand for this species of thistle that’s cultivated as food. “It’s one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables, thanks to its fiber content,” she said. “There are 10 grams of fiber in one cup of artichoke hearts, which is about a third of the fiber needed in a day. That prebiotic fiber builds up good gut bacteria and boosts overall microbiome health. Additionally, artichokes have been shown to be helpful in lower heart disease risk by reducing cholesterol levels and lowering blood pressure.”
Green peas:
“They’re a rich source of plant-based protein, containing 9 grams in one cup,” Jones said. “They’re high in fiber, to keep you regular and full longer. They’re also rich in saponins, which are plant compounds that may help protect from oxidative stress and cancer.”
Radishes:
“This is a vegetable that’s really worth a try,” Smithson said. “They’re really great roasted or boiled, because they lose their bitterness when cooked. Use the stems and leaves to sprinkle on top of the cooked dish, because they have even more protein, calcium, vitamin C and antioxidants than the roots.”
Sweet potatoes:
“They’re loaded with vitamin A, an important nutrient that helps maintain night vision and prevent cataracts and macular degeneration,” Jones said. “Sweet potatoes also contain fiber, potassium, and double the vitamin C of russet and red potatoes.”
Tomatoes:
Yes, they’re technically a fruit, Karp noted, but she couldn’t resist pointing to their benefits. “They’re loaded with antioxidants like lycopene, beta-carotene and flavonoids,” she said. “Lycopene specifically is linked to reduced heart disease and cancer risk. The beta-carotene in tomatoes helps maintain eye health as we age. And tomatoes actually become even more nutritious when you cook them, because the heat increases the bioavailability of lycopene.”
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