A: You're right; certain vegetables dominate many recipes because they are well liked and very versatile. Our unofficial survey of favorites includes asparagus, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and zucchini. To see how these kitchen staples stack up nutritionally, check out the chart at the end of this article.
A: Most vegetables are low in B vitamins. You have to get those from grains. But most of the vegetables on our chart are great sources of potassium, which lowers blood pressure and reduces the incidence of stroke, and magnesium, which is essential for heart, muscle and nerve function.
A: There's a good rule of thumb: The deeper a vegetable's color, the more vitamins and minerals it has. By contrast, pale vegetables, like celery, tend to be nutritional lightweights. Also, different-colored vegetables tend to have different nutrients. Those that are deep orange-yellow (sweet potatoes, carrots) are typically crammed with
vitamin A; green veggies (broccoli, green bell peppers) tend to be good sources of C. That's one reason nutritionists often say, "A colorful plate is a healthy plate," and why it's important to eat a variety of vegetables, not the same ones over and over.
A: Go back to the concept of "color equals healthy," but in another way. Each vegetable color represents a unique set of plant compounds. Even though there is no Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for these powerful substances, studies have found that if you eat veggies high in them, your health may benefit in many ways. Check these out:
*RDAs provided by the National Academy of Sciences, 2004.
| SUPERSTAR NUTRIENTS | RUNNER-UP NUTRIENTS | SERVING SIZE & CALORIES |
|---|
SPINACH
Carbs 4 grams
Fiber 2 grams | Spinach is by far the runaway star in the veggie family. It has the highest amounts of folate (194 mcg), calcium (99 mg), magnesium, iron and vitamin E. Spinach also has high levels of eye-protective lutein (12,198 mcg). | This powerhouse contains significantly more potassium and vitamin K (important for blood clotting) than other vegetables. And spinach has hearty doses of vitamin A (9,337 IU) and beta-carotene (5,626 mcg). | 4 cups packed raw
1/3 cup cooked and drained
23 calories |
BROCCOLI
Carbs 7 grams
Fiber 3 grams | High in the antioxidant vitamin C (89 mg), which helps with iron absorption and is important in tooth health. Broccoli also contains plenty of cataract-fighting lutein: 1,691 mcg. | Broccoli is high in potassium (316 mg), and it provides a fair amount of folate (63 mcg), which helps prevent heart disease and birth defects | 1 1/4 cups florets
34 calories |
CARROTS
Carbs 10 grams
Fiber 3 grams | One of the veggies with the most vitamin A (12,036 IU). And carrots have one of the highest amounts of beta-carotene (5,774 mcg), an antioxidant that helps the body ward off disease by neutralizing harmful free radicals. | Carrots also furnish a good amount of potassium (320 mg) and (surprise!) a trace of lycopene (2 mcg). | 2/3 cup chopped
1/2 cup grated
About 2 medium carrots
41 calories |
SWEET POTATOES
Carbs 20 grams
Fiber 3 grams | The queen supreme of the antioxidant beta-carotene (8,509 mcg), sweet potatoes also have more vitamin A than any of these other vegetables (14,187 IU). | Sweet potatoes check in at 25 mg of magnesium—which helps you absorb calcium—and 337 mg of potassium. | 2/3 cup diced
1/3 cup mashed
About 1/4 large potato
86 calories |
ASPARAGUS
Carbs 4 grams
Fiber 2 grams | Though most veggies don't provide a lot of iron, asparagus is second only to spinach with 2 mg per serving. It also contains vitamin A (important for vision): 756 IU. | Serves up a dose of potassium (202 mg), needed for maintaining healthy cells. | 1 cup chopped
About 15 thin or 8 fat spears
20 calories |
MUSHROOMS
Carbs 3 grams
Fiber 1 gram | Out of the vegetables on our chart, mushrooms have the highest amounts of the B vitamins niacin (3.85 mg) and riboflavin (0.4 mg), both of which help cells turn food into energy. | Provide 314 mg of potassium. Mushrooms also rank highest out of these veggies in the free-radical fighter selenium (9 mcg), and they are the only vegetable on this chart that contains vitamin D (76 IU). | 1 1/2 cups chopped
1/2 cup cooked
About 8 button mushrooms
22 calories |
GREEN PEPPERS
Carbs 5 grams
Fiber 2 grams | After broccoli, green peppers offer you the most vitamin C (80 mg). | Green peppers have some beta-carotene (208 mcg) and vitamin A (370 IU). | 3/4 cup chopped
About 1/2 large green pepper
20 calories |
TOMATOES
Carbs 5 grams
Fiber 1 gram | No other food gives you as much prostate-protecting lycopene as cooked tomatoes: 2,573 mcg per serving. | Tomatoes offer 623 IU of vitamin A too. | 3/4 cup chopped
About 1 medium beefsteak,
2 small roma
or 12 cherry tomatoes
21 calories |
EGGPLANT
Carbs 6 grams
Fiber 3 grams | An eggplant's healthiest offering is its 230 mg of potassium. | The purple veggie gives you some folate (22 mcg) and magnesium (14 mg). | 1 cup sliced
3/4 cup sliced and roasted
About 1/4 medium eggplant
24 calories |
POTATOES
Carbs 16 grams
Fiber 2 grams | Potatoes are a beneficial source of potassium (407 mg), second only to spinach. And this versatile vegetable
provides 1.07 mg of the B vitamin niacin. | Potatoes are also a decent source of magnesium (21 mg). | 2/3 cup diced
1/3 cup mashed
About 1/4 large baking potato
70 calories |
ZUCCHINI
Carbs 3 grams
Fiber 1 gram | Of the veggies in our chart, zucchini contains the second-highest level of vision-sparing lutein (2,125 mcg). | Provides some potassium (262 mg) to help maintain healthy blood pressure. | 3/4 cup chopped
About 1/2 medium zucchini
16 calories |
ONIONS
Carbs 10 grams
Fiber 1 gram | Surprise: Onions offer a little assist in bone health with 22 mg of calcium. And onions are a great source of
flavonols, compounds that protect against heart disease. | Half a cup of onion contains 10 mg of magnesium. | 1/2 cup chopped
About 1/2 medium onion
42 calories |
Article by Katherine Tallmadge from Vegetarian Times, April 2005.
Copyright© Vegetarian Times. Reprinted with permission.
