I’m glad I don’t need to be encouraged to eat lots of vegetables. I love them! I could easily eat nothing but veggies and skip the pasta, potatoes, and meat completely. If you have someone in your life that is against veggies, then see if these 8 reasons to eat more vegetables will provoke them to think differently. You never know maybe they just need a little prod towards making a change in their veggie-less diet.

8. To add more fiber to your diet

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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.

7. To gain extra vitamins

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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.

6. To add some variety

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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.