Not All Veggies are Created Equally

By Caroline Rechia • January 24th, 2007 • 4092 Views

If you've spent time thinking about healthy eating, you know that you should try to include vegetables at every meal. I always encourage my nutrition clients to choose the vegetable first when planning a meal, so that they are sure to get the recommended 5 - 10 servings per day. Eating your veggies to be healthy is common knowledge, and nowadays even fast food restaurants know to throw a bit of iceberg lettuce and tomato at their clients. But there are vegetables and then there are Vegetables and a good question to ask is: "which vegetables pack the most nutritious punch?"

At any health food store you can find shelves of "greens" products that promise a dose of veggies for people on the go. The color green is now synonymous with health and vitality; most doctors will recommend eating leafy greens for their high concentration of vitamins and minerals. But green is not the only thing to look for when walking through your local produce section, although this vibrant color is a very good place to start.

Variety is the spice of life, and also a good way to ensure that you are getting a range of essential vitamins and minerals in your diet. Bright, dark colors, like red, purple, green and orange will lead you to foods like grapes and berries, kale, chard, cabbages, pomegranates, avocado, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, tomatoes, and squash. These foods will supply vitamins A, Bs, C and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and other nutrients that scientists are discovering each week to have healing and protective qualities.

One family of vegetables is the cruciferous variety and this includes many of the colorful honorees above: broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, arugula, bok choy, collard greens, kale, turnip and cabbage. Scientists now find this family of vegetables to be very promising in fighting cancer 1, 2

Once you've chosen a type of vegetable, an important consideration is the quality of the food. You need to make sure that the beautiful color of your veggie is representative of actual vitamin constituents and isn't just the result of a gas the food was exposed to in transit to you. ...

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Location:  Vancouver, CA

Caroline Rechia is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist with over 10 years experience in consulting and working with diverse clients, including the Vancouver School Board and Canadian Cancer Society. Caroline believes that the right food choices can...