You know by now that Heart In Motion heartily endorses the liberal consumption of vegetables. Eating vegetables goes so far beyond just keeping us full and satisfied, but also has many far reaching benefits for overall health as well. The more you know, the more likely you are to make lifestyle changes that make sense and stick. Check out the many, varied reasons to include vegetables into your daily routine.
- Helps with neurotransmitter function – 80-90% of our serotonin is produced in our intestinal tract. When we are not eliminating properly, we can develop conditions like intestinal dysbiosis and leaky gut syndrome. Bottom line, when serotonin production is disrupted, we develop symptoms like carbohydrate cravings, anxiety, trouble sleeping, unstable mood, and migraine headaches.
- Cravings – When our bodies are not receiving all of the nutrients we need, we develop cravings for other foods that will fill the nutritional need. Eating a variety of vegetables gives our bodies the opportunity to fill all of those deficiencies, thus taking one piece out of the cravings equation.
- Less absorption of fats and carbohydrates – This one is little known, but a huge bonus for fruits and vegetables. Vegetables contain soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber actually creates a gummy lining inside of the intestinal tract which prevents the absorption of some of the sugars/carbohydrates in your food! That is why fiber in vegetables cancels out the carb in vegetables because they are not absorbed. Take a minute to “digest” that.
- Volume – We all know this one, vegetables add volume to the diet without a ton of calories. Comparatively, you can have a cup of broccoli for 35 calories or a cup of pretzels for 171. From a fullness perspective, there’s just no comparison.
- Cancer Prevention – Vegetables prevent cancer for a variety of reasons, but their alkaline nature is one of the big ones. Processed foods, chemicals, and excess protein can create an acidic environment in the body and are hard on the kidneys. CANCER CANNOT THRIVE IN AN ALKALINE ENVIRONMENT so eating vegetables sways your body in the anti-cancer direction.
- Basal Metabolic Raise – Vegetables take a great deal of energy for the body to break down, so the more of them we eat, the more calories our bodies burn just during the process of digestion.
USRDA and Heart In Motion recommend that at each meal, you fill HALF of your plate with fruits and vegetables. Fruit is great and easy to eat, but vegetables provide all of the same benefits without the blood sugar rise. Fruits in moderation, veggies unlimited. CLICK HERE for Heart In Motion’s list of unlimited veggies!
STEP(S) FOR THIS WEEK:
- Evaluate how many veggies per day you are currently eating and make a concerted effort this week to add one more serving per day than you normally would. There are amazing health and wellness benefits to even just one more serving. More matters!