Article Contributed on: 10/5/2008 2:27:18 PM
Despite the popularity of salad bars and vegetarianism, most adults today don't consume enough healthy greens. Your childhood memories of mushy peas and golf-ball-sized Brussels sprouts may have kept you at bay all these years, but your mom was right: You should eat your veggies.
Vegetables are extremely important because they're stuffed with healthful vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. And they're low in calories and full of
fiber, so they'll fill you up without filling you out! All vegetables contain water, but some, such as lettuce, cucumbers, sprouts, and broccoli, are particularly high in water content.
The water you get from eating vegetables will increase your oxygen levels, and the oxidation stimulates your metabolism, which helps your muscles convert fat into energy. Still not convinced of a vegetable's merits? Here's one more reason: Because of their high fiber content, veggies are digested more slowly, making you feel full and satiated for a longer length of time. So consume at least three to five servings of veggies a day to keep yourself from overeating.
Fred Cabrera CPT CSCS CCTI