The Benefits of Green Vegetables

Start early. If you want to promote a health in your child as they go from babies to toddlers, adolescents, to young adults and finally enter adulthood, you should start early. Currently, American adults eat so few green vegetables that our health is suffering. New dietary guidelines for Americans released January 2005 show there needs to be a 200 to 300 percent increase in our intake of healthy green vegetables. This is a result of poor eating habits.

Brain Health. This should be a good reason you should consider eating more green vegetables. New studies are showing that important lifestyle choices, like eating healthy green vegetables, can help prevent you from developing sicknesses like Alzheimer's and a variety of other illnesses. If that doesn't hook you, try this: MIT researchers say if you're becoming forgetful, stocking up on magnesium is your answer. Magnesium can be found in dark green leafy vegetables. Here are a few other facts about magnesium, a nutrient found in dark green leafy vegetables that work positively towards your health:

- It helps build strong bones

- makes proteins

- release energy stored in muscles

- regulate body temperature

Having a magnesium deficit has been linked to allergies, asthma, attention deficit disorder, anxiety, heart disease, muscle cramps, etc.

Healthy green vegetables also contain phytochemicals such as lutein and indoles which have antioxidant, health-promoting benefits. Phytochemicals, pronounced 'fight -o- chemicals' are substances that are naturally found in plants. They help maintain vision health and put you at a lower risk of some cancers. Lutein, which is present in green vegetables like spinach, broccoli and greens, play a major role in preventing damage to the eye. It protects the eye from blue and ultraviolet light which result in age-related macular degeneration. AMD is a major cause of impaired vision in the elderly. Indoles have anti-cancer properties. You can find these photochemicals in broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

For a healthier body, pay attention to your intake of green vegetables. Green leafy vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard and mustard greens make important contributions to lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke. Not only do green vegetables have calcium for healthy bones and teeth, vitamin K for clotting of the blood; which can prevent osteoprosis, potassium to help control high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but they have fiber and this helps control weight. One other major issue in America is the increase in amount of obese children and adults; fiber can help with obesity by providing your digestive system with a natural cleaner. Furthermore, fiber in green vegetables is critical for the health of the colon. It could play a major role in the prevention of colon cancer.

Green vegetables in your diet are very important in your health they keep your body centered and keep your body calm. In the United States, about one third of the people are over weight. Using green vegetables in main dishes and snacks can help shed pounds. Also keep in mind green vegetables are apart of a healthy diet. Here are some reasons why green vegetables are a good part of a healthy diet:

Vegetables are low in calories, promoting weight loss

Vegetables are low in fat, lowering your chance at getting heart disease or

some cancers.

Vegetables have low sodium, helps combat high blood pressure.

Vegetables increase your vitamin and mineral intake, for a healthy body.

Vegetables increase your fiber intake, again promoting healthy weight loss.

In summary it is great to get your children on the band wagon of eating healthy green vegetables to prepare their lives for a healthy lifestyle. You too can start eating healthy by including more green vegetables in your diet and change your life. Green vegetables offer a variety of substances that have benefits for your health.