[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
Green vegetables are not all green in color, among them we find throughout the seasons: artichoke, asparagus, carrot, celery, beetroot, endive, green beans, lettuce, turnip, pumpkin, leek, peas, cabbage (red cabbage , green cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, etc.), broccoli, pepper, cucumber, fennel, zucchini, onion, mushroom, chard, spinach, heart of palm, bamboo shoot, etc.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
We classify them according to the part we harvest:
- leafy vegetables, including red cabbage and lettuce,
- stem vegetables, including asparagus and fennel,
- flower vegetables, including artichoke and broccoli,
- fruit vegetables, including eggplant and cucumber,
- as well as root vegetables, including onion and rutabaga.
What are the nutritional and health benefits?
They contain many minerals and trace elements that help the body function properly.
Consumption of green vegetables allows you to fill up on magnesium, which is an excellent stress reliever, reduces fatigue and helps fight mood disorders.
We also find calcium, which controls muscle contraction and nerve transmission; as well as iron, which is responsible for transporting oxygen into cells.
Green vegetables also contain significant amounts of vitamins as :
- vitamin A, which stimulates the immune system, ensures the renewal of skin cells and mucous membranes. It also plays an essential role in the proper functioning of vision.
- vitamin C, which promotes iron absorption and strengthens the immune system.
- vitamin B6, which synthesizes antibodies and hemoglobin.
- Vitamin B9 which plays an important role in the formation of red blood cells.
The wealth in antioxidants Green vegetables help slow down cellular aging.
They also contain essential fatty acids such as alpha-linolenic acid, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Broccoli, for example, helps boost the immune system thanks to its richness in flavonoids that help boost the immune system, while onion helps limit the risk of blood clots.
How to choose your green vegetables and which ones do you find depending on the season?
It is advisable to favor the seasonal green vegetables and sufficiently ripe, hasbought at the market or from the greengrocer.
It is also better to focus on products from organic farming or sustainable agriculture, to avoid pesticide residues, particularly present in the skin of vegetables. Favor short circuits which make it possible to limit transport and storage time.
The ideal is to consume them as quickly as possible.
Eaten too long after purchase, vegetables lose a good part of their vitamins and their nutritional value.
Why are they slimming allies?
Their low calorie intake makes them an excellent health and slimming ally, in addition to its many health benefits (vitamins, minerals, water, fiber, etc.).
Eating them every day, in different varieties, allows you to find very interesting nutritional benefits in each of them and to add color to your plates!
Their rich in water and fiber, of which you should consume 30g of fiber per day, to be in good health is also a slimming asset.
In fact, the fibers increase the volume of the food bolus And favor the achievement of a satiety faster, as well as good intestinal transit.
In addition, they also allow better blood sugar and fat control, by reducing their intestinal absorption and limiting their storage.
An example : when you eat a food rich in fat (pizza, etc.), with a fairly high glycemic index, adding fiber to the menu (a green salad for example) has a positive influence on the way you store fat.
Situations where it is necessary to limit consumption or choose certain vegetables instead
Medical contraindications for:
- People with gastroesophageal reflux who must be vigilant about the volume of their food intake and therefore consume vegetables, rather in pieces than in soups for example and in small quantities (100-150g per meal).
- People who need to control their potassium intake should limit their consumption of green vegetables and cook them by changing the cooking water twice in order to reduce their potassium content as much as possible.
- People with bleeding disorders or taking anticoagulants should limit one serving per day of green vegetables rich in vitamin K.
– Vegetables high in vitamin K: Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, spinach, kale, turnip
– Vegetables with medium vitamin K content: Asparagus, avocado, broccoli, carrot, celery, cauliflower, red cabbage, cucumber, watercress, endive, green beans, oils (canola, olive, soy), lettuce (Boston, Iceberg, romaine), fresh parsley, leek, green peas, tomato
Limiting quantity and adapting the cooking method to avoid digestive discomfort:
- Difficulty of digestion for certain people such as people with diverticula, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.
- For everyone, be careful of excess raw vegetables in particular, because they are more difficult to digest and can cause gastric irritation.
The ideal is to alternate between raw and cooked.
Cooking also brings its share of benefits and flavors: steaming allows the majority of vitamins and minerals to be preserved. - If you are tired and/or especially in the evening, when the digestive fire is less good, favor cooked vegetables.
For vegetables with hard fibers like cabbage, you can put a pinch of sodium bicarbonate in the cooking water to aid digestion.
So to your baskets, green vegetables can be consumed as desired and vary the types of preparation: raw, cooked, in salad, steamed, in gratin, in pie…. Be creative!