Vegetables

Vegetables are a very important part of a balanced diet. These are parts of the plant like leaves, flowers, stems and roots and they can have different colors. it is important to note that these plants are non-toxic and suitable for food use. Vegetables can be eaten fresh, dried, frozen or canned.

There are many vegetables. Examples include sweet potato leaves, pea leaves, cassava leaves, spinach, okra, and tomatoes. Other examples are eggplants, sweet potatoes, pumpkin leaves, tomatoes, figs, and green peppers. Examples of root vegetables are radishes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and onions.

Potatoes, yams, cassava and raw corn are not part of vegetables because of the high levels of carbohydrates they contain.

Vegetables are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and folic acid. As well as vegetables have high levels of minerals like iron, potassium and magnesium. Vegetables offer fiber as well as chemicals of plants (phytochemicals) which are also important for human health.

Benefits of Eating Vegetables

• Vegetables give vitamins and minerals without calories exceed.
• Vegetables are rich in different nutrients depending on the type of vegetable. It is important to eat a variety of vegetables every day to meet the required nutrient requirements in the body. For example, colorful leafy vegetables greens (spinach, spinach, leaves of pulses) are good sources of iron.
• Eat orange or red vegetables like tomato have a large amount of vitamin A.

Vegetables also contain vitamin C, which together and other work, is important for the absorption of iron ore. More than 50 percent of Vitamin C can be lost during cooking. This loss occurs from heat or from spilling used water after cooking the vegetable. This practice is normal for some communities because they are the cooks.

Vitamin C dissolves in water and is affected by temperature and oxygen, so it is easily damaged they were cooking. Cook using high heat and in the long run it causes great loss of vitamin C.

It is advised that cooking Leafy vegetables are good for grilling the following:

• Wash green vegetables before chopping them.
• Cover the cooking vegetables.
• Cook vegetables using low heat for a long time or sharp heat for a short time
• Do not pour the water used for cooking vegetables
• Prepare the greens at the last moment around mealtime. This way, they don’t last for a long time to avoid damage and loss of nutrient quality.
• Use steaming. This helps in retaining nutrients, texture and color.

Leafy vegetables also contain chemicals (phytochemicals) that protect the body against cancer. They also have limitations that help to have a bowel movement easily.

• Eat vegetables adequate leaves reduce the risk of getting obesity, heart disease, stroke and some cancers.
• Eat at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily. This amount is equivalent to four to five doses. It reduces blood pressure and lowers the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Leafy vegetables have very little dietary fiber.

Consumption of Vegetables in Communities

• Usually leafy vegetables are eaten mainly by women and children. They eat them to a lesser extent. Hence, these vegetables do not contribute much to the amount of nutrients required.
• Rural areas showed that a small number of women die because of a lack of vitamins and minerals. For example the recommended daily intake of Vitamin A is 27%, iron 17%, and minerals like zink 7%.
• Scarce amount of edible eaten is a major factor in causing vitamin and mineral deficiency for mothers. It also corresponds to a large amount of particles in red blood cells. Hence eating lots of vegetables is important to combat anemia and vitamin A in the body.

What vegetables should be eaten every day?

A vegetarian diet suggests consuming fewer than 360 grams of vegetables on average. This is according to the international agreement related to diseases. These can be fresh, frozen, cooked, canned, or dried. Eating 300 to 600 grams of vegetables of leaves per day is healthy. This involves green vegetables, red vegetables, yellow or orange vegetables and other leafy vegetables.

According to scientific innovation, there are many machines that aid the preparation of vegetables through steaming. Other communities eat raw vegetables by dipping them in hot water. This helps to kill pathogens while maintaining the natural level of nutrients in the leaves.