09/05/2021
He wrote a great book called How Not to Die. Great information on how to change your health at the grocery store!!
There are a number of beneficial reasons why we should be loading up our plates with vegetables. One is simply that vegetables contain both fiber and phytonutrients, the nutrients that are known to give plants their pigments and act like antioxidants in our body.
In addition to aiming to fill half of our plates with vegetables, we should also strive to include a variety of veggies throughout the week. Dietary diversity is important because each plant family has a unique combination of phytonutrients that may bind to specific proteins within our body.
Dark green leafy vegetables are the most healthful foods on the planet, which is why they have their own category in Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen. As whole foods go, they offer the most nutrition per calorie. Of all of the food groups analyzed by a team of Harvard University researchers, greens were associated with the strongest protection against major chronic diseases, including providing up to about a 20 percent reduction in risk for both heart attacks and strokes for every additional daily serving.
A more plant-based diet in general may help prevent, treat, or even reverse the progression of some of our leading causes of death, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure. As well, it may improve not only body weight, blood sugar levels, and ability to control cholesterol, but also our emotional states, including depression, anxiety, fatigue, sense of well-being, and daily functioning.
Next time you prepare a meal, think about all of the ways you can include more veggies. Add zucchini, kale, tomatoes, and broccoli to a pasta dish. Load up a bean burrito or burrito bowl with greens, purple cabbage, corn, peppers, and onions. Adding more vegetables to your meals not only gives a nutritional punch, but it makes your dishes more colorful, too.
To learn more, see the following resources on http://NutritionFacts.org:
“Specific Receptors for Specific Fruits and Vegetables” at http://bit.ly/2Lkxd5e
our Vegetable topic page at http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/vegetables/
our Plant-Based Diets topic page at http://nutritionfacts.org/topics/plant-based-diets