Why Are Vegetables Important to the Human Body?

By Shannon Hyland-Tassava

"Eat your vegetables!" It's a directive you've likely heard your whole life, since Mom served a side of broccoli with your meatloaf or mac-and-cheese. Now, it's the medical experts who encourage you to add more veggies to your diet, with the American Cancer Society advising at least five servings of fruit and vegetables per day for good health. The Harvard School of Public Health goes even further, recommending nine servings of vegetables and fruits each day. It's enough to make you wonder exactly why vegetables are so important to human health. 

Join us beginning August 1 as we take Health.com's 21 Day Challenge: Power Up Your Veggies. We will post each day for 21 days your veggie challenge. Boost your veggie intake in just 3 weeks with these easy recipes and expert strategies that we will post!

Vitamins and Antioxidants
One of the main health benefits of vegetables is their high nutrient content. Vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals that contribute to growth and the maintenance of good health. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that many vegetables are high in potassium, which is important for healthy blood pressure. Various vitamins, such as C and A, help keep eyes, skin, teeth and gums healthy, fight infection and promote wound healing. Perhaps most importantly, vegetables are rich in a particular group of nutrients called antioxidants, which fight cellular damage and help prevent heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's disease, atherosclerosis, heart attack and Alzheimer's disease, says the Linus Pauling Institute.

Fiber
Another substantial benefit of vegetables is dietary fiber. Fiber is an important nutrient found only in plant foods. As part of a healthy diet, fiber helps scour bad cholesterol out of your arteries, thus lowering your risk of heart disease, says the USDA. Fiber also keeps your digestive system running smoothly, helps control your blood sugar levels and may help prevent cancer.

Diet-friendly Characteristics
Vegetables are also a boon to dieters. Because they are generally low in fat and calories, you can eat a lot of them without gaining weight. If you substitute vegetables for other, higher-calorie foods in your diet, you'll slash your calorie and fat intake, making weight management easier. The fiber in vegetables also helps you manage your weight. Fiber makes you feel fuller for a longer period, helping you eat less overall and aiding with weight loss or maintenance.

Considerations
Some vegetables are healthier than others. The Harvard School of Public Health states that potatoes -- which many people consider a vegetable -- actually do not count toward your daily recommended servings of vegetables. Instead, potatoes, and often corn as well, are starchy foods more akin to a grain serving than a vegetable serving. When choosing vegetables, keep in mind that, in general, brightly colored vegetables are higher in nutrients than less vivid choices. For example, spinach contains many more vitamins and antioxidants than iceberg lettuce. If you have questions or concerns regarding your diet or vegetables for good health, consult your physician or a registered dietitian for more recommendations.


reprinted from Livestrong.com

How to Make Any Recipe a Clean Recipe

By Rebecca Longshore, Cooking Light

When it comes to eating clean, it’s often much easier than you think. Plus, you rarely have to alter the essence of your favorite dishes to achieve a cleaner plate. The key to turning them into a “clean” dish is to start from the root—the ingredients.

To build a cleaner plate, it first starts in the market where you choose your produce, whole grains, dairy, proteins, and other items. Look for ingredient lists that are short and contain no preservatives, artificial colorings, added sugars, and other processed ingredients.

Make sure you balance your plate by filling at least half with fruits and veggies, choosing whole grains for a fourth of your plate, and lean, clean meat for the remaining fourth.

To convert a recipe to a clean recipe, simply look at all of the ingredients and start substituting. Here are your basic substitutions:

Sugar > organic maple syrup / organic honey
Baked goods > white whole-wheat flour / whole-wheat flour / almond flour / coconut flour
Grains > unprocessed, dry quinoa / farro / brown rice / oats / homemade whole-wheat bread (or whole-wheat bread from a local baker / 7 Sprouted Grains Bread)
Dairy > organic, unprocessed cheeses, milk, Greek yogurt
Protein > Choose leaner meat, and limit meat portions such as pork and red meat to 3 ounces and chicken to 4.5 ounces per day. Seafood and plant-based proteins are encouraged. Look for meat that is grass-fed and raised without antibiotics or hormones.
Condiments, dressings and salsas > Make your own, and nix the added sugars and excess salt.

Get creative with fruits and veggies:

Use avocados as a bowl for poached eggs, tuna salad, or even quinoa.
Swap out potato chips for apple chips, beet chips, sweet potato chips, and kale chips.
Use apples and celery in place of crackers to pair with nut butters.
Use squash in place of pasta, such as zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
Infuse water with fresh herbs, and fruits.

Here’s an example of a recipe we’ve converted to clean, Chicken Kebabs and Nectarine Salsa.

While this recipe is almost completely clean, the marinade calls for brown sugar. For a cleaner sugar, replace 1½ teaspoons of maple syrup for the 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

Reprinted from Health.com

The Delicious Watermelon Popsicle You Need to Try

By Susan Rinkunas

Who doesn’t love watermelon? Not only is it delicious, but it’s low in calories, packed with vitamin C, and may even help relieve muscle soreness. Since Sunday is National Watermelon Day, we wanted to share this refreshing watermelon Popsicle recipe.

Actress, ZICO Coconut Water spokeswoman, and former Healthcover star Jessica Alba recently hosted a cooking class in New York City with Casa Mono chef Andy Nusser to demonstrate how to cook with coconut water. One of the courses was this delicious four-ingredient ice pop, which creates a pretty ombré effect as it freezes. It will give your taste buds a mini tropical vacation. Enjoy!

Watermelon and Coconut Water Ice Pops
(Serves 6-8, depending on size of ice pop molds)

What you’ll need:

4 cups watermelon chunks, seeds removed
1/2 cup unflavored coconut water
Juice of 1 fresh lime
2 tablespoons agave nectar
Ice pop molds, or small paper cups and Popsicle sticks

How to make it:
1. Combine watermelon, coconut water, lime juice, and agave nectar in a blender, and puree until smooth.
2. Transfer to ice pop molds or cups, insert Popsicle sticks, and freeze.

Reprinted from Health.com