Veggies Get No Respect

Vegetables are nutritional superstars. Pretty much every credible diet - Mediterranean, DASH, Paleo, Weight Watchers - are built around them. In many countries, vegetables are the centerpiece of the meal. Not here in the USA though. Nine out of 10 Americans fall short of recommended guidelines (at least 3 cups per day), despite the fact that this is not a very large volume.

Here are some facts about the neglected vegetable that may surprise you.

1. All vegetables are good vegetables. Sure some are richer in nutrients than others, but who cares? They are all packed with minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients. And the available variety is enormous, so you surely can find some that you enjoy.

2. Vegetables are your dieting ally. They can help you seriously slash calories without feeling empty and hungry. As a snack they will add about 20 - 50 calories to your total, and they are mostly water. So unless you slather them with butter or oil, they add almost no fat.

3. Veggies protect your heart and brain. Although we often read about vegetables as cancer fighters, the strongest evidence is for how they support your heart and blood vessels (and thus your brain). A recent study in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that those eating at least 3 cups per day of vegetables had a 30% lower risk of heart disease and stroke, compared with those who ate little or none. The original DASH diet study concluded that a diet emphasizing vegetable and limiting meats resulted in a drop of 8 - 14 points in systolic blood pressure (the upper number) - a comparable drop to what you would get using the most common blood pressure drugs.

4. Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh, and sometimes more so. Freezing and thawing can can sometimes result is a "mushy" vegetable, so they are often best used in cooking. As always, don't overcook.

5. Vegetables can be steamed, boiled, sauteed, fried, roasted, baked and grilled.  Growing up, I was traumatized by Brussels sprouts. Then I was served them at a Thanksgiving dinner. They were delicious. The difference? They were roasted with garlic and oil instead of boiled. The way you prepare them can produce very different tasting results so experiment.

6. Everything counts toward your total. Lettuce and tomato on your sandwich, carrots dipped in hummus as a snack, salad, peas and corn with dinner. You'll be surprised how easy it is to reach 3 cups a day.

7. A typical serving of vegetables is 1/2 cup, so you are looking for 6 servings a day. This is not a lot, so its pretty easy to run up the score.

Working some vegetables into your daily diet is easy to do and pays health dividends. Be creative and you'll surprise yourself to find you even enjoy them.

Beans: Fresh or Canned?

Whether or not you are vegetarian, vegan or just cutting back on meat, beans are a wonderful source of plant based protein. They contain a wide range of cancer fighting chemicals such as isoflavones and phytosterols. And they can help lower your cholesterol, increase the amount of beneficial fiber in your diet and help moderate blood glucose fluctuations.

But they are not always easy or convenient to prepare fresh. I've been complimented more than once on the "nuts" in my home made chili because no matter how long I soaked or cooked the beans they never seemed to be done. So what about using canned beans? Are there enough nutritional advantages to starting from scratch to make it worth the effort?

Probably not.

The soaking, cooking and canning processes can lower the nutritional content of beans, but not very much. Fresh or canned, beans remain a good source of protein, fiber and nutrients. And canned beans are ready to eat right out of the can - a big plus in my book.

But there is a drawback to canned beans. Like almost all canned foods, they can be very high in sodium content. Some canned beans offer you 450 - 475mg of sodium per serving (about 1/3 of a 15oz can). Canned chili can be much higher. But there are two ways you can improve on that.

Look for "low sodium" versions. These can be as low as 120mg per serving.

And always rinse the beans thoroughly in water. This can reduce the sodium content by as much as 40%.

Either way, enjoy "the musical fruit" and make beans a regular part of your diet.