VEGETABLE NUTRITION
Nutrition Therapy is a powerful way we can make what we eat our medicine too.
When it comes to healing and maintaining your health, vegetables are essential.
A growing body of studies show us how different vegetables can also be nutraceuticals.
Nutraceuticals are any substance that is a food (or a part of a food) and provides medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of diseases.
Vegetables are any part of a plant that is edible, except for sweet fruits.
They range from leafy greens, root, bulb, tuber and stem vegetables, fruit and flower like cauliflower, pods, seeds, fungi (mushrooms), through to fibre packed legumes such as beans, peas and lentils.
For easy meal planning, I am including sweet fruits and raw nuts (nuts are defined as the seeds of a fruit).
Vegetables provide healthy carbohydrates, dietary fibre, proteins, phytochemicals, flavonoids, vitamins and minerals, prebiotics, probiotics (when fermented), antioxidants, and polyphenols which prevent the development of chronic diseases.
Diets rich in fresh fruit and vegetables are associated with lower death rates from diseases such as coronary heart disease and cancers.
Vegetables are also linked with preventing chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, arthritis, osteoporosis, gut dysbiosis, inflammatory bowel disease, metabolic syndrome, immune disorders, brain and mood disorders, and age-related diseases.
Nutrient rich plants foods (fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, legumes, raw nuts and seeds, culinary herbs and spices) are major sources of nutraceuticals.
And they should make up most of our daily diet.
DAILY AMOUNTS
Nutrition standards generally recommend that we eat at least 5-7 servings of different vegetables every day to meet our nutrient requirements for optimum health.
Fruit and vegetables (including herbs and spices) provide essential vitamins, minerals, and plant chemicals (antioxidants and phytonutrients) that restore metabolic imbalances, regulate hormones, reduce inflammation, correct gut dysbiosis, lower toxic bacteria, protect your cells from damage, support your immune system, and prevent disease.
50% of our daily diet needs to be fruit and vegetables to improve and maintain health.
To make meal planning easier, I usually recommend my clients eat at least 3 cups of vegetables (including salads and legumes, 2 servings of fruit, and a handful of raw nuts (especially organic walnuts) and seeds every day.
You can eat more vegetables – the minimum recommendation is 3 cups of vegetables daily.
But it’s worth including more vegetables in your daily diet.
Studies show that people who eat 7 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day have better health and prolonged lives (a 36% lower risk of dying from any cause).
And eat a range of seasonal vegetables (a rainbow of colours) to provide a variety of nutrients – including leafy greens, red and yellow and green and orange vegetables, root vegetables, beans and peas (legumes), and fresh herbs and spices to add deliciousness and health benefits to your meals.
I strongly recommend you eat organic, biodynamic, or home grown organic produce to avoid the vast amount of synthetic chemical pesticides, fertilisers, insecticides, herbicides and fungicides used in agriculture, as well as preservatives used in produce distribution that harm human health.
Washing vegetables is mostly ineffective for removing toxic contamination, and detergent vegetable washes remove even less pesticide residue than running water. I’ve included studies for you in my reference list.
I also advise my clients to choose consciously and wisely what they eat, especially when they are tired or stressed and takeaway fast-food seems like the easiest option.
Always make the healthier choice.
Even a healthier takeaway like sushi or a freshly made Thai curry with vegetables, is a better choice than highly processed, nutritionally empty, junk food.
There is a strong link between a healthy mindset and better outcomes.
To create better health, see everything you eat as an opportunity to create positive health outcomes, boost energy, promote better mental health, maintain a healthy weight, prevent chronic diseases, and increase the likelihood of healthy ageing.
PREPARING VEGETABLES
How we prepare food is just as important as what we eat.
Some ways of preparing vegetables are better than others in terms of preserving nutrients.
Fresh (raw) vegetables are the baseline for measuring nutritional content. But the quality of soil, level of ripeness, and timing of harvest can affect nutrient content.
That’s why I recommend organic and biodynamic vegetables grown in rich healthy soil and harvested when ripe.
Local farmers markets are a fun way to find fresh, locally grown, biodynamic or organic produce.
And if you live remotely without access to fresh produce, look for organic frozen veggies or grow your own.
Fresh salads with full-of-flavour dressings and creative coleslaws are delicious ways to enjoy fresh vegetables and reap medicinal benefits too.
I love adding grated raw beetroot and carrot to coleslaw for their health benefits and flavour.
I also eat fresh rocket (arugula) leaves most days because research links a high intake of cruciferous vegetables, like rocket, with prevention of osteoporosis and neurological disorders, and a lower risk of cancers, including breast, prostate, lung, colon and bladder cancers.
Frozen vegetables have a similar nutritional content to fresh vegetables and a good option if fresh produce is unavailable.
Freeze-dried vegetables retain higher levels of vitamins and essential minerals and can last for years when stored in airtight containers in a cool, dark place.
Freeze dried greens (like chlorella, spirulina and barley grass powder) or red vegetables (like beetroot) are nutrient-rich and perfect in smoothies to boost nutrition, promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, and reduce inflammation.
Buy only organic freeze-dried vegetable powders – especially chlorella and spirulina – to avoid chemical and heavy metal contamination.
Fermented vegetables provide a powerful dose of probiotics for your gut and retain most of the nutrients.
Eating a serve of fermented vegetables (especially lacto-fermentation) with every meal is a powerful way to protect and boost your gut microbiome.
Lactic acid fermentations include sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and olives.
Other beneficial fermented plant-based foods include miso, tempeh, natto, apple cider vinegar with the mother, kombucha, or cultured (live) coconut yoghurt.
Baked vegetables cooked at higher temperatures and longer cooking times can cause nutrient loss.
Slow cooking is a better way to preserve nutrition.
Or you can always eat fresh salad with baked vegetables.
I love eating baked vegetables served with steamed broccoli on a bed of fresh rocket leaves that are dressed with garlic balsamic vinegar and a dash of organic black sesame oil.
I finish dressing my veggies with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, sometimes a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a few grinds of black pepper, a small dash of Celtic sea salt for electrolyte replacement, and dinner is served.
Boiling vegetables can lead to lower amounts of nutrients for certain vegetables.
This is because the vitamins leach into the water, and certain sensitive vitamins (like vitamin C and some B-vitamins) are destroyed by heat.
Reduce the amount of water you use and the boiling time to preserve nutrients.
Steaming vegetables is a good way to maintain nutrients and even improve the availability of certain nutrients.
Steaming breaks down cell walls, releasing nutrients and the availability of potent antioxidants like lycopene, carotenoids, and polyphenols.
Carrots, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage and capsicum (peppers) release more antioxidants when cooked.
However, over cooking breaks vegetables down even further and lowers nutrient content the longer you cook them.
It’s better to eat al dente vegetables, meaning they are still firm when bitten, and they offer more nutrition.
So, lightly steaming, or quickly stir-frying vegetables in organic olive oil and garlic, is a healthier option.
Slow cooking at lower temperatures is a delicious way to preserve nutrition and flavour.
Degradation starts to occur in foods exposed to heat greater than 49 degrees Celsius, which is 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Nutrients in food remain more stable than when you use slow cooking methods such as crock pots on a low setting.
And nutrients usually lost in liquid are also reabsorbed back into your meal when you use a cast iron tagine, slow-low baked sealed casserole dish, or an electric slow cooker.
If you are going to slow cook dried beans though, soak them for 12 hours first. Then boil them for 10 minutes to destroy any natural toxins (antinutrients). Thoroughly rinse the beans and then add them to your slow cooker recipe.
Microwaving or deep-frying food are culinary techniques I don’t recommend.
Have fun and experiment with the way you prepare and eat vegetables.
Eat some raw and some cooked vegetables to gain the benefits each offer.
And if you live a busy life, meal planning and prepping before the start of each week is a wonderful game-changer.
MEAL PREPPING
Meal planning and prepping vegetables saves time and reduces stress about what to eat.
I usually buy my veggies and prep on a Sunday, ready for my work week on Monday.
I use glass storage containers for my prepped ingredients, because it’s a healthier storage option and I can see what I’ve got in the fridge.
I also make dressings and marinate tofu, or prep beans, or have hummus ready to use, and that makes life easier too.
Because I start each work day early in the morning, on Sunday I also make healthy grab-and-go breakfasts in 300ml glass jars to cover 4 of my busiest days.
I make breakfast puddings using all organic ingredients – golden linseeds (1 tablespoon), desiccated coconut (1 tablespoon), oat bran (1 teaspoon), and dried goji berries (2 teaspoons) in each jar.
I top up each jar with organic coconut yoghurt and fresh blueberries or seasonal fruit.
Then I stir all the ingredients together with a long handled teaspoon and put them in the fridge to soften and set.
I love fresh mango in my breakfast puddings, when they’re in season.
You could also make chia and fruit puddings in jars as another healthy grab-and-go option.
The time it takes to make my breakfast for 4 days and clean-up is about 15 minutes.
I’ll organise my lunch the night before too with ingredients and dressings I’ve already prepped.
It takes about 5 minutes to make my lunch because all the ingredients are ready to go.
I store my dressings in a small separate jar ready to pour over my lunch so my salads don’t get soggy sitting dressed in the fridge.
I love eating Buddha bowls for lunch (or dinner). They’re quick and easy and perfect for busy days.
And I have a colourful, insulated tote bag – ready to fill with everything I need for the day. It even fits my travel coffee mug and water bottle.
At night I also prep my morning drink and supplements ready to have first thing in the morning.
We all live different lives and have to make meals work for our unique circumstances.
But one thing I can say is being organised with meals ahead of time means you eat healthier, save a lot of time, and it’s a more peaceful way to live.
And if you’re a busy mum, get your children involved in prepping too so they can grow up to be healthy adults who know how to take care of their nutritional needs.
If you’d like help with meal planning and prepping mouthwatering food, check out Meal Plans by Rainbow Plant Life.
Nisha from Rainbow Plant Life takes all the planning and guesswork out of meals for you.
Nisha’s recipes are plant-based, and each week you get a PDF sent straight to your inbox that contains:
• a categorized grocery list complete with substitutions.
• a quick but impactful set of meal prep steps that will streamline your weeknight dinners.
• and gourmet but doable recipes.
You can also watch her Rainbow Plant Life YouTube channel too for recipe ideas and inspiration.
Healthy eating has to be delicious or why bother, especially vegetables, so also have a look at our Healthy Eating Directory for plant-based recipes from some amazing chefs.
You can also explore books, studies, recipes and even YouTube channels dedicated to the Mediterranean Diet, which is another good place to begin creating a healthy life.
Also check out our blog, Delicious Dressing Recipes.
You’ll find simple ways you can make dressings that take vegetables to a gourmet level.
Deliciousness is all in the dressings!
Here’s to loving every healthy meal you eat,
Lisa Rieniets ND.
RELATED BLOGS
Delicious Dressing Recipes
https://www.renerhealthclinics.com.au/delicious-dressing-recipes/
Power Of Cruciferous Vegetables
https://www.renerhealthclinics.com.au/power-of-cruciferous-vegetables/
Healthy Eating Directory
https://www.renerhealthclinics.com.au/healthy-eating-directory/
REFERENCES
Knowledge is empowering so I’ve included studies that reveal the amazing benefits of eating a diet rich in vegetables.
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