Vegetables Forever

Vegetables are definitely my favorite food group. Doesn’t that seem kind of strange for a fourteen year old? Most children do not like to eat vegetables at all. They’ll shove them off their plate, play with them, or just plain refuse to eat them. Well, I’m not just any fourteen year old, at least that’s what I like to think. Vegetables are my favorite food group because they’re crunchy, nutritious, fill you up, and can be used in practically any dish. If you’re struggling to get vegetables into your diet, no worries! They can be added almost anywhere in any meal, can elevate any dish, and will make you healthier!

Why are vegetables so good for you?

You’ve probably heard it all over: Vegetables are great for you. Have you wondered why people say this? Well, because it’s the truth! Veggies contain plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, helping you stay energized and feeling your absolute best.

Most veggies, like green, orange, and red ones, contain the extremely valuable nutrient Vitamin A, used by your body to support normal growth and development, healthy eyesight, and proper immune system functioning, as well as regulating hormones. Another important Vitamin that many veggies contain is Vitamin C, which is required by your body to heal itself from injuries. Without it, you would get scurvy, a condition that sailors would get from being at sea and having a very plain diet. Their teeth would begin to fall out from their gums, and old wounds and scars from long ago would start to open up again. The antioxidants in veggies can also help to prevent cancer and reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation contributes to many modern health problems, like heart disease, obesity, and even acne.

Vegetables are a main stake in many diets around the world for a good reason: They provide an extremely great source of nutrients, while being easy to grow. They are the main reason why you can’t just eat bread and butter all day; you actually need other nutrients from fresh, whole foods. Without vegetables, many civilizations would not survive for very long. According to the National Library of Medicine, Vitamin A deficiency affects more than 30 million children in Africa, which causes them severe health issues like poor vision and weak immune systems. Getting more veggies in your diet can prevent Vitamin A deficiency, so doing so should be a priority.

How can I get more vegetables in my diet?

Do you just not like vegetables for some reason? Are they much too bitter for your tongue, too crunchy and uncomfortable for your mouth, or just plain boring to eat? All of those problems have simple solutions! Vegetables can be cooked in hundreds of ways; steamed, boiled, pan-fried, and roasted are just some of the great options out there that you can try! Cooking a vegetable can completely change its texture, so if you don’t like how a vegetable is slimy or hurts your jaw, try cooking it in a different way. And don’t worry about the nutrients being stopped away when a vegetable is cooked. While it may be slightly true, you probably won’t cook every vegetable the same way, and the fiber stays in it, even when cooked. After you start to experiment with different cooking techniques, you may actually start to like veggies! They can also be seasoned in any kind of way. I like to season mine just like I would a protein, but there are many other ways you can season your veggies, too. One popular way is to put some cheese on top of your vegetables. This makes it much more appealing to others because cheese is a staple food in many diets today. (think Mac and Cheese, Nachos, and Grilled Cheese sandwiches.) Try to get creative with seasoning your vegetables, and soon you may start to like them even more than other food groups! Last but not least, they can easily be incorporated into almost any dish imaginable. Put them in stir fry, omelets, salads, smoothies, as a side dish, like mashed potatoes or sweet corn, risotto, in a soup, and even made into a sauce. Vegetables are super versatile, and it might even surprise you where they can fit in!