8 Reasons to Eat More Vegetables ...

Raw vegetables are an excellent source of fiber. Sure, there are plenty of other sources of fiber, but I think veggies taste much better than bran cereal or a powdered mix that has to be added to water. A cup of cooked peas has more fiber than a cup of pearled barely or whole-wheat spaghetti. One cup of cooked sweet corn has more fiber than a cup of brown rice and twice as much as a slice of multigrain bread.

Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K are found in tons of different vegetables. Each of these aids the body in maintaining healthy skin, eyes, a strong immune system, and provide basic nutrition for cells. Most people don’t get the full daily amount of vitamins from regular meals, so eating more veggies isn’t going to overdose you on vitamins. Increasing your vegetable intake will more than likely give your body the boost it needs with the right amount of vitamins.

Eating a diet of foods that have little variation doesn’t provide you with enough essential vitamins and minerals to be considered healthy. Variation is also good to make meal time more interesting. I’d get tired of having rice and chicken every night if I wasn’t able to add in carrots, peppers, or a side of creamed corn. Vegetables can be used to add texture to an entrée or they can be eaten on their own as a separate dish.

I know this might not be a valid to entice everyone into eating more vegetables, but it sure helps me! My husband is the complete opposite. His food needs to be disguised as a huge hunk of meat in order to lure him into taking a bite. I think veggies are amazing and most taste great raw or cooked. I prefer to eat raw veggies as much as I can. I think the flavor is stronger and I like the crunch!

Antioxidants are plentiful in veggies and most of these help protect the body against free radicals. These are substances that damage cells within the body that ultimately cause cancer. The antioxidants in vegetables can help to detoxify these free radicals and render them harmless. With all the research done on cancer and there being so many things in the environment that cause it, I’m more than willing to eat some extra veggies to help fight against free radicals.

Cutting back on dairy and meat portions will allow you more room for veggies. By eating more vegetables you can then greatly reduce your chance of having heart disease, as well as diabetes, or a stroke. Vegetables don’t have the high dosages of cholesterol or saturated fat that other foods have. Both of these cause deposits of fat to form inside blood vessels. So, keep those blood vessels clear by eating more veggies!

Eating a healthy snack of fresh veggies is going to give you a lot less calories than a bag of chips. This type of snack will also stick with you a lot longer, so you’ll be less likely to snack on random foods later. An entire cup of vegetables can have as many calories as just 5 greasy potato chips. I’d much rather eat a cup of veggies than try to be satisfied with 5 measly chips.

Sure, this isn’t a health reason, but I prefer to eat food that looks good as opposed to a plate full of monochromatic fare. I’ve also made some creative displays with veggies that enticed my kids to eat more fresh vegetables. Most people have at least heard of ants on a log. What better way to disguise a healthy snack than to call it something out of the ordinary? Adding peanut butter and raisins to a stick of celery can usually entice a kid, or adult for that matter, to at least take one bite. Tossing frozen peas into mac and cheese might sound weird, but brightens up the goo and adds a bit more vitamins.

There are many more reasons besides the 8 reasons to eat more vegetables that I’ve listed above. I hope you can come up with some that will get your friend or loved one to eat more veggies. They are generally a lot cheaper than most grocery items, which is a definite plus! What are some of the reasons you choose to eat veggies?