The Power Of Plants - For Top Fitness, Eat Your Veg!
Cruciferous vegetables are one of the best things you can include in your diet and are the nutritional backbone of a healthy diet. For better health and performance, regularly including broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, turnips and kale in your weekly meal plan can play a crucial role in building a strong and healthy body.
Vegetables are loaded with vitamins and minerals that are crucial for your general health and muscle growth. All are loaded with phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals, and fibre - all of which help prevent chronic illnesses including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even cancer.
If you're wondering how to eat your daily dose, you could sauté or steam them, juice them, add to sandwiches or wraps for a little extra crunch, chop them and use in a salad or soup, or eat them raw with a side order of healthy dip.
It’s wildly rumoured that frozen veggies aren’t as nutritious as fresh, but this simply isn’t true. Studies by research bodies have confirmed that any loss in the nutritional value from freezing vegetables is negligible. So you can eat it fresh, frozen, or even drink it and you’ll get the same benefits – so there are no excuses to getting your 5 a day!
10 facts you may not know about your veggies
- A portion of broccoli contains more calcium than a glass of milk.
- Brussel sprouts contain nearly 50% more vitamin C than an orange.
- In medieval times, cabbage was referred to as the "drug of the poor."
- The B vitamins found in green leafy veggies help convert the food we eat into usable energy.
- A vegetable's colour signifies its strength of antioxidants. Eat a full range of green, yellow, red, and other colours to receive the maximum benefit!
- A growing number of research studies supports the potential benefits of nitrate-rich beets and beet extracts for athletic performance.
- Bananas are technically herbs.
- The most widely known toxin in fruits is cyanide, and occur in low levels in apples.
- Brussels sprouts reign as the least enjoyable vegetable in the world!
- Calorie for calorie, broccoli contains more protein than steak.