What serving of vegetabes do you need in a day?

Answer 1

At least 3 and as much as 10. A good rule of thumb is "eat the rainbow every day" Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Do this every day, you will improve your health (in all respects) to an amazing degree!

Preferably choose raw and non-starchy vegetables (I do not count white potatoes as a vegetable, unless they are served blanched al dente, to preserve their vitamin C and with the skin, for its fiber).

However, some foods actually become more nutritious as you cook them: tomatoes (cooking releases lycopine), carrots (cooking enhances the absorption of beta-carotene) and pumpkin (raw pumpkin, Ew!)

Here's a list of my top 10 veggies:

#1 Red bell pepper. Ridiculously high in vitamin C and great source of vitamin A.

#2 Romaine lettuce. Very high in vitamins A, C and K. Also a great source of folate.

#3a Canned Pumpkin. An ultra rich source of carotenoids. Delicious in a smoothie or in custards.

#3b Cooked Carrots. See canned pumpkin.

#3c Sweet potatoes. High in fiber and very similar to the other #3's

#4 Red Cabbage. Good sources of Lycopene, lutein and high in vitamin C. Also high in purple color. (We don't know what that's good for yet) This food is a cruciferous vegetable and is anti-carcinogenic.

#5 Tomato paste. Just one TBSP per day can keep the skin-cancer doctor away. It is extremely high in lycopene, which has been shown to have powerful antioxidant qualities.

#6 Broccoli. (fresh or lightly steamed) High in vitamin C and folate, is also high in anti-cancer sulfur compounds.

#7 Garlic. High in allicin, garlic can naturally increase blood flow (especially to certain parts of the male anatomy) and decrease blood pressure.

#8 Ginger. (fresh, or brewed into tea) This "vegetable" (actually a rhizome) has anti inflammatory properties that rival some NSAIDS.

#9 Purple Sweet Potato. Rich in beta-carotene, they contain 150% more antioxidants than blueberries. Known by the Japanese as Imo. They might be hard to find, so do your homework and pester your local supermarket to carry them.

#10 Green tea. My favorite source of caffeine, green tea is LOADED with antioxidants and bioflavanoids. It can also make you leap tall buildings in a single bound!