We already know about it that we need to eat more fruit and vegetables for good health, but how do we do that?
When I start talking about eating more vegetables and fruit, I often hear: “I already eat so much vegetables with my dinner and I don’t even like it so much.”
The Benefits Of Vegetables
Full Of Nutrients – You may have known it for a long time, but plant-based foods can provide us with the right nutrients to live in health.
That is why it is so important to eat more fruit and vegetables and I will list the benefits of eating vegetables again for you.
The most important substances that vegetables provide are vitamins, minerals, fibers and of course also moisture.
They Are Rich In Vitamins – Vitamins are active substances that occur in small amounts in our diet and they have a specific function, but they can hardly be produced by the body itself.
Plant-based foods provide almost all of our vitamin C, a large part of the folic acid and also half of our vitamin A.
Vitamin C, A and also vitamin E are very important antioxidants.
Antioxidants help protect the body against free radicals that arise from all sorts of processes involving oxygen, such as digestion.
Free radicals cause aging and antioxidants prevent this aging.
In addition to be an antioxidant, these vitamins are necessary for maintaining healthy and strong teeth
They Include Vital Minerals – Minerals also perform important functions within the body.
You need them as building material for the skeleton (the bones), but they also play a role in the metabolism and construction of cells, body tissues and hormones.
Minerals cannot be made by the body itself, so you have to get them from food.
Minerals that fulfill an important function for the teeth include calcium and phosphorus.
You Get Fibers – In addition to vitamins and minerals, vegetables also provide fiber.
You need these fibers for good bowel movements, among other things.
A good bowel movement is necessary to remove toxins from the body so that we are not exposed to this.
Dietary fiber can lower cholesterol levels and ensure that blood sugar levels do not rise too quickly after a meal.
For example, they help prevent diabetes, obesity and colon cancer.
Grains in particular are known for the dietary fiber they supply, but fruit and vegetables are actually a much more efficient source.
They provide 2 to 8 times more dietary fiber with an equal amount of calories.
Rich In Phytochemicals – In addition to these known substances, there are also phytochemicals in vegetables.
These are very small substances that can have a positive effect on our health in the long term.
Examples of these substances are the antioxidants. As described earlier, vitamin C is an important antioxidant, but vegetable food contains even more antioxidants, and these can be recognized by the color of vegetables.
The beta-carotene in carrots is a good example of this. Beta-carotene gives carrots the beautiful orange color.
Other antioxidants are the yellow lutein and zeaxanthin, the red lycopene and the green chlorophyll.
Full Of Water – About 80% of fruit and vegetables consist of moisture, and with that it provides an important part of our fluid intake.
About 60% of the body consists of water, so moisture is of vital importance.
In the mouth we need, among other things, sufficient fluid for the production of saliva.
7 Benefits Of A Green Smoothie
How can we make good use of all these healthy nutrients? A good way is to eat vegetables during every meal.
If you find it difficult to get enough vegetables in one day, there are all kinds of ways to profit from these beneficial foods.
How about a green smoothie with your breakfast?
Benefit #1 – With a green smoothie you get a large portion of vegetables in one go, with all the vitamins, minerals, fiber and other healthy substances.
The nutrients are quickly absorbed into the body because they have already been crushed and you will experience more energy.
Most people do not chew their food sufficiently, so that nutrients are less well absorbed.
Pureeing fruit and vegetables will give you a helping hand.
Benefit #2 – You increase your fiber intake by starting the day with a green smoothie.
You stimulate digestion and bowel movements in this way.
Benefit #3 – An optimal functioning immune system is stimulated by the antioxidants and phytonutrients from fruit and vegetables.
A good defense is needed for a healthy mouth with healthy gums. Your smoothie is packed with these immune-boosting substances.
Benefit #4 – Making a smoothie is time saving. You can already pre-cut the ingredients in the freezer.
Before you go to work, throw everything in the blender and your green smoothie is ready to be drunk in no time.
Benefit #5 – Do you have children? A smoothie is a fun and delicious way to hide healthy vegetables for your children.
Benefit #6 – Make the most of the green smoothie by adding a chewing element.
Good digestion starts in the mouth, but for this it is necessary that you chew your food.
So add some tasty nuts to your smoothie.
Benefit #7 – You also add a fat for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Think of coconut fat, coconut milk or almond milk, but nuts also contain good fats that stimulate the absorption of vitamins.
Do Smoothies Also Have Disadvantages?
Disadvantage #1 – Many people forget to add the chewing element to the smoothie.
As a result, an important part of the digestion is skipped.
Disadvantage #2 – Smoothies can contain a lot of sugar if you make them from large amounts of fruit.
In this way, a smoothie mainly becomes an energy bomb and a burden on your liver.
Disadvantage #3 – By blending fruit and vegetables, there is unfortunately a partial loss of vitamins and minerals.
Disadvantage #4 – A smoothie can contain more calories than if you just eat fruit and vegetables raw.
Disadvantage #5 – Some of the vitamins are not included if you forget to add a healthy fat to your smoothie.
Edward Redmond is a professional gym trainer and an Avid Herbalist. He has been active for the last 9 years with his pieces of advice on fitness, eating right and healthy as well as health benefits of superfood.