According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) almost everyone needs to eat
more vegetables.
Dark green leafy vegetables like spinach and swiss chard are some of the most nutritious foods you can add to your diet.
Dark green leafy vegetables are packed with vitamin A, vitamin C and fiber. These greens also contain plant sterols and stanols
that absorb cholesterol from food.
Eating a diet rich in vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for stroke and perhaps other
cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, such as mouth, stomach, and colon-rectum cancer.
Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Vegetable sources of potassium include sweet potatoes,
white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, winter squash, spinach,
lentils, kidney beans, and split peas.
Dietary fiber from vegetables, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of
heart disease. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing
foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.
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