A veggie is a veggie is a veggie, right? Nope! When I visited my nutritionist last year, she told me that I should be using veggies with greater nutritional value to not only help me get the most from what I eat, but also to help me feel more full and thus make weightloss easier. For instance, she suggested that I eat tomatoes in my cottage cheese in the morning instead of cucumbers, which have minimal nutrient value.
Perhaps reading about this from other sources will help us get a better feel for which veggies will help us be more healthy and lose more weight (because they fill us up better than things like iceberg lettuce...). Check out these resources:
Just to give you an idea, check out this info for Spinach (from the website above) and compare it to this info on iceberg lettuce (put iceberg lettuce in the search box and follow the directions). Think about what a change it would make if you made your salads with baby spinach instead of iceberg!
Don't boil your veggies...it leaches the nutrients out of them into the water! Try microwaving instead. Here's an article from Mayo Clinic on why this is better: http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm...59F410&si=2765
Thanks for all the info. I've been using iceberg lettuce for all my salads - now I'll definately use baby spinach or something else that's better for me.
Wow, glad you guys are interested! This stuff interests me too...I figure the healthier the food I'm putting into my body, the better. And I completely understand why people get sick of salads. There are so many yummy veggie recipes out there...we can enjoy them much more than a salad every day.
Here's another great reason to reach for greens at mealtime — researchers from the American Institute for Cancer Research say eating dark green veggies on a regular basis can significantly cut your risk of breast, lung, skin, cervical, and colon cancer! Talk about super veggies! That's because dark green vegetables — such as romaine lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, watercress, arugula, bok choy, and broccoli — are packed with antioxidants, which can prevent changes in your cells that lead to cancer.
However, despite their health benefits, most American diets fall far short of the recommended 3 cups of dark green vegetables a week. So how can you squeeze them into your diet? It's easy! Add spinach, arugula, and romaine leaves to salads in place of the usual iceberg lettuce, the experts say. Or slip some broccoli and bok choy into your stir-fry. Want more? Lightly steam kale or collard greens for a tasty side dish. But be careful not to overcook these nutritious greens — too much heat can destroy the antioxidants, the experts say. Next time you visit the market, be sure to reach for the greens!
Ugghh... Iceberg salads make me sick. I always use Romaine, and occassionally try to get some Baby Spinach. Thanks for the info. My body has never liked Iceberg Lettuce - so I'm glad there is no reason really for me to eat it anyway!
Look for veggies with potassium! Not only does potassium help minimize the effects of salt on hypertension (high blood pressure), but it also keeps the heart at a steady beat (which may minimize the possibility of stroke) and reduces the calcium loss from bones (which may reduce the possibility of osteoporosis).
I didn't know about this myself until I read an article in Cooking Light earlier this year. So add mushrooms to your list of nutritionally-rich vegetables!
Eating vegetables with carotenoids? Include a little good fat! Studies show that you absorb more carotenoids when vegetables are eaten with some good fat than when they are eaten with a nonfat sauce/dressing. Here's more:
Quote:
Carotenoids are potent antioxidants found in brightly hued produce -- think red, orange, and yellow. But the small intestine needs a little fat to absorb these power nutrients. So do several other fat-soluble vitamins, including:
Vitamin E (found in spinach and broccoli)
Vitamin K (found in cabbage, cauliflower, and turnip greens)
Vitamin D (found in some fish and in fortified dairy)
See this page from the RealAge website for more information and an easily SBD-adaptable recipe for sauce!
I continue to believe that microwaving retains the most nutrients of all cooking methods, but always thought eating raw veggies (with the exception of tomatoes) was the way we got the most nutrients from them. Turns out that's not true--or at least the studies show it may not be. I think in this case, microwaving would have the same effect--but I'm not a scientist, so who knows? Here's a quote from the article on RealAge:
Quote:
Lost in Digestion
When researchers tested the digestive effects of
both raw and steamed veggies -- beets, okra, carrots, eggplant, green beans, asparagus, and cauliflower -- something interesting happened. It’s not clear why, but the steamed veggies did a better job of binding to bile acids. And that’s a good thing. It means more bile acids get excreted, which in turn means the liver needs more bad LDL cholesterol to make bile -- which means there’s less LDL circulating in your body.
Best Veggies to eat...
Here's a quote from 
