Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food.
The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers,fruits,, stems, leaves, roots, and seeds.
An alternative definition of the term is applied somewhat arbitrarily, often by culinary and cultural tradition. It may exclude foods derived from some plants that are fruits, flowers, nuts, and cereal grains, but include savoury fruits such as tomatoes and courgettes, flowers such as broccoli, and seeds such as pulses.
Vegetables can be eaten either raw or cooked and play an important role in human nutrition, being mostly low in fat and carbohydrates, but high in vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber.
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Many nutritionists encourage people to consume plenty of fruit and vegetables, five or more portions a day are often being recommended.
Originally, vegetables were collected from the wild by hunter gatherers and entered cultivation in several parts of the world, probably during the period 10,000 BC to 7,000 BC, when a new agricultural way of life developed.
At first, plants which grew locally would have been cultivated, but as time went on, trade brought exotic crops from elsewhere add to domestic types.
Nowadays, most vegetables are grown all over the world as climate permits, and crops may be cultivated in protected environments in less suitable locations. China is the largest producer of vegetables, and global trade in agricultural products allows consumers to purchase vegetables grown in faraway countries.
The scale of production varies from subsistence farmers supplying the needs of their family for food, to agribusinesses with vast acreages of single-product crops. Depending on the type of vegetable concerned, harvesting the crop is followed by grading, storing, processing, and marketing.
Eating vegetables every day is important for the health. They provide essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, such as antioxidants and fiber. Research consistently shows that people who eat at least five servings of vegetables a day have the lowest risk of many diseases, including cancer and heart disease.
BENEFITS
1. Veggies help you slash calories.
Not many foods are found with just 10 to 50 calories per serving. Many vegetable are comprised of a large amount of water, so unless you take them with dressing, sauce, butter, or sauté oils, they’re a steal. Now, you can replace boring white rice with “rice” made of vegetables, or substitute your stew for vegetables and this helps Calories drop from 200 to 20 per cup.
2. vegetables protect your heart and brain.
Although we may think of vegetables as cancer fighters, there’s more evidence that they protect your blood vessels.
In a recent meta-analysis of up to 20 studies on up to a million people, individuals who consumed 18 ounces of vegetables (about 3 cups) a day had roughly a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke when compared to those who ate little or none.
A DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study noted an 8 to 14 point drop in systolic blood pressure (the higher number) when people were fed a diet rich in vegetable and fruit. The diet was also low in added sugars, saturated fats, refined grains and salt.
This drop was about the same you’d get from some drugs that lower blood pressure.
3. Lower the risk of breast cancer.
Although cancers vary, vegetable may help prevent some but not others.
One example of a pooled analysis of 20 studies of nearly a million women found that vegetables were not linked to the most common breast tumors, which are fueled by estrogen (estrogen-positive).
It was noted that women who ate the most vegetables (at least 14 ounces a day) had a 15 percent lower risk of estrogen-negative breast cancer than those who ate only 5 ounces. Estrogen-negative tumors have lower survival rates so preventing them is very important.
4. protect your eyes.
Many vegetables, especially leafy greens, are rich in lutein and its twin, zeaxanthin.
Although the evidence is not yet final, both clearly have importance for the eyes. These are the only carotenoids in the lens and retina, where they absorb damaging light and protect against oxidation study that tracked some 100,000 men and women for roughly 25 years found that those who consumed the most lutein plus zeaxanthin had a 40 percent lower risk of advanced macular degeneration than those who consumed the least.
A similar study noted an 18 percent lower risk of cataracts in women who eats the most lutein.
5. Veggies add additional potassium.
Potassium helps to lower blood pressure and may also make blood vessels less stiff, This may explain why people who eat more vegetable have a lower risk of stroke, However, it may be difficult to get sufficient potassium of 4,700 milligrams a day.
So, to meet the need, cover at least half your plate with vegetable (or fruit), which provide potassium without a load of calories.
6. Leafy greens help lower your risk of diabetes.
Some studies have shown that people who eat more leafy greens have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Magnesium may explain why.
Half the population gets less magnesium than that recommended by experts. More studies are needed, but magnesium may help with control of blood sugar.
