Here's Why You Need to Eat Your Vegetables

"Eat your vegetables!" Did your mother ever say this to you when you were a child? As it turns out, she was right. Vegetables are an essential part of a nutritious diet, and if you don't eat them, you could be risking your health. Here's why you should make vegetables a part of your everyday diet.

Essential Nutrients Contained in Vegetables

Veggies are nutritional powerhouses, and they can help you meet your recommended daily intake of many essential vitamins and minerals. Including a wide variety of veggies in your diet will help you eat more of all the following nutrients:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Potassium
• Folic acid
• Fiber

Generally, the darker your veggies are, the more nutrition they will contain -- so, for instance, spinach and broccoli are more nutritious than iceberg lettuce. But all veggies have health-boosting nutrients in them, so you can't go wrong by choosing the ones you like best.

Phytonutrients Contained in Vegetables

“Phyto” is the greek word for plant; thus “phytonutrients” are nutrients only found in plant foods. While not necessary to sustain life, they help fight off disease and are immensely beneficial to your body and overall health. Examples include anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidants, and cholesterol regulation. These complex nutrients are not as well understood as essential nutrients are, but scientists are uncovering more and more about them each day. This is partly why fruits and vegetables frequently enter the spotlight as “superfoods.” A list of the more common phytonutrients includes:

• Carotenoids
• Lycopene
• Resveratrol
• Flavonoids
• Ellagic Acid

If you're trying to lose a few pounds, filling up your plate with vegetables will help you meet your goals. Watery, non-starchy vegetables are low in calories but high in fiber, meaning they'll fill you up and keep you feeling satisfied long after mealtimes without blowing your calorie budget for the day. And because vegetables come in such a wide variety of colors, textures, and tastes, you can experiment with preparing them dozens of different ways, and you'll never feel like you're eating boring "diet food."

A Vegetable-Heavy Diet May Protect You From Disease

Do you want to live a long and healthy life? If so, hit the produce section next time you're at the grocery store. Because veggies contain so much nutrition and fiber, they can have a protective effect on your whole body, from your skin to your colon. People who eat plenty of vegetables every day are at lower risk for health problems such as cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, stomach cancer, and mouth cancer. They're also less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Eating vegetables every day can even help reduce the symptoms of digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome.

How to Eat More Vegetables on a Daily Basis

Incorporating more veggies into your diet doesn't have to be a difficult task. The simplest way to do it is to just add more vegetables to whatever you already eat. For example, load up your usual lunchtime turkey-and-cheese sandwich with spinach and tomatoes. Or throw a handful of wilted greens and mushrooms into your morning omelet. There are tons of possibilities for adding vegetables to other foods, so get creative and see which combinations you like best.

If you still aren't sure where to start, or if you're a little intimidated by the idea of cooking with more vegetables, there are plenty of solutions that can help you take that first step towards healthier eating. Signing up for a plant-based meal delivery service is one quick and simple way you can fill your plate with more vegetables on a daily basis. These delivery services do all the work of finding recipes and gathering ingredients for you, so you can skip that trip to the grocery store and put together a healthy meal for your family with minimal fuss. They’ll also make sure your meal is properly balanced with the right nutrients, like vegan sources of B12, a particularly tricky nutrient for vegans.

If your diet hasn't included very many vegetables in the past, it may take some time to figure out which veggies you like to eat. Don't give up if you aren't a fan of your first few efforts! If you aren't a fan of steamed veggies, for instance, you might still enjoy oven-roasted or stir-fried vegetables. And as your palate adjusts to eating more veggies, you'll probably find that you enjoy them more and more over time.

Whether you love vegetables or loathe them, they're an essential part of a healthy diet. Eating lots of veggies helps you manage your weight, stay healthy, and feel great. Look for ways to incorporate more of nature's most nutritious foods into your diet, and you'll soon notice that your skin looks brighter, your mind feels clearer, and you have more energy. There are virtually no downsides to eating plenty of veggies, so why not make them a regular part of your diet, starting today?