30 reasons that you should eat more vegetables (and fruits).
1. Eating more vegetables costs less than eating more meat and carbohydrates. Yes, produce is expensive, but frozen fruit and veggies are not.
2. When you buy during a vegetable's peak time, you're paying far less than meat per pound. Buying at peak time usually coincides with when the vegetable/fruit is most nutrient dense as well.
3. A plate filled with vegetables in addition to meat is more attractive. Yes, it's vain and aesthetic, but a variety of colors on your plate is also a good indication that you are getting a variety of vitamins and minerals into your diet.
4. Eat more carrots for better eyesight. It's true! Scientists have proven that eating carrots prevents cataracts and overall improves vision.
5. Fruits might be sweet, but a diet rich in vegetables and fruit slow the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream, lowering the risk of diabetes.
6. The high fiber content in vegetables and fruit are natural ways to reduce cravings. Fiber makes you feel full, and in it curbs sweet tooth cravings. The same goes for veggies, which really make you feel more full and satisfied than carbohydrates and sugar.
7. A diet high in antioxidant rich foods like fruits and vegetables have been shown to help prevent cancer.
8. Potassium rich vegetables like sweet potatoes have been shown to prevent kidney stones, a great reason to cook one up with your dinner.
9. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories. It's practically impossible to get fat on fruits and vegetables alone, so adding as much of them as possible will result in weight loss if you have weight to lose.
10. Fruits and vegetables are essential to proper fetal development, especially ones rich in folates. Folate rich fruits and veggies include spinach, lettuce, asparagus, peas, banana, grapefruit, and strawberry. According to mypyramid.gov, it "reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly."
11. One of the best ways to prevent heart disease is to eat more fruits and vegetables. The fiber, antoxidants, and phytochemicals found in types of beta carotene reduce cholesterol levels, and prevent fatty substances from sticking to blood vessel walls.
12. For the same reasons, fruits and veggies help reduce the risk of stroke.
13. Green, leafy vegetables and some types of fruits can lower blood pressure.
14. It sounds like an old wives tale that Vitamin C helps prevent a cold, but there could be some truth to the notion that some foods boost your immune system.
15. Overall, working around meat is a far more dangerous job than farming vegetables. Eating more vegetables than meat will lessen the need for these jobs, shift them to vegetable farming jobs, and keep more people safe (not to mention healthy).
16. Prostate health is essential as you age, with prostate problems being very common as age increases. Eat more of these types of fruits and vegetables to promote prostate health and help curtail prostate cancer.
17. Increasing the amount of vegetables in your diet and lessening the meat can save you money, if you're mindful of what you're buying. Lentils and beans are the cheapest proteins available, much cheaper than meat and soy, and very good for you. So basically, veggies are cheaper than meat.
18. People watch what you eat. When you eat healthier, you will influence those around you, making their lives healthier as well.
19. Vitamin E rich foods like almonds, avocado, dark greens, and tomatoes protect essential fatty acids from cell oxidation, which is essentially a form of aging.
20. When you get older, you'll need more fiber to combat diverticulosis. Eating fruits and vegetables high in fiber can help prevent diverticulosis, along with plenty of water.
21. Iron, folates, and beta carotene all can be found in winter root vegetables, which are a great source of energy and are delicious in soups. Beet juice has been found to increase stamina during exercise, so you can get more out of your workouts.
22. If it comes from a tree, how bad can it be? Replacing your cooking oils with olive oil can have a giant benefit to your health. Olive oil raises HDL cholesterol (the good), while keeping LDL cholesterol in check, as opposed to animal fats which do the opposite.
23. Going organic can have many benefits, but simply eating more vegetables can help the environment, too.
24. There aren't any meats that help burn fat, but there is a list of fruits and vegetables that burn fat. You can't get much easier than that.
25. Peppers, apples, pears, and broccoli are some of the fruits and veggies that help boost metabolism on this list.
26. Sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews, flax seed and even onions and garlic contain L-Arginine, a naturally occurring amino acid. These vegetables and nuts help increase sex drive naturally.
27. In a way, even by eating more fruits and vegetables, you are supporting animal causes. You don't have to eliminate meat from your diet to be a proponent of cruelty free meat and ethical animal treatment. By eating less meat, you're lessening the chance of animal abuse, and lessening the need for meat.
28. Growing your own vegetables can help your wallet and the environment. Fresh is always best, and it just so happens that it could be cheaper if you grow it (and a rewarding experience).
29. Folate is a known mood enhancer and serotonin producer. Folate is found heavily in many fruits, and even the smell of citrus fruits can enhance mood (perfect if you need a boost).
30. Eat fruit for brain health, maybe even while reading this page. Consuming fruits has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.
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