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Vegetable Side Dish recipes |
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Eating more vegetables may be the single most effective way to improve your diet. People who eat at least three servings of vegetables a day from a wide variety of sources have much lower rate of many chronic diseases.
Vegetables have dozens of protective compounds. Most are high in fiber, many are very rich in antioxidant vitamins such as beta-carotene and vitamin C, most are rich in folic acid, and many contain significant amounts of minerals such as iron. Garlic and onions have compounds that help prevent blood clots. Cabbage-family vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, and turnip greens, have compounds that help stimulate our livers to protect us against cancer-causing substances in the environment. Red, orange, yellow and dark green vegetables are rich in beta-carotene and other related carotenoids, which may help protect against both cancer and heart diseases.
So fill your plate with vegetables. One easy way to increase your intake is to simply have seconds. A Pyramid serving for most vegetables is quite small; for example, a half cup. So ir you like a particular vegetable, and eat a cup and half, that's 3 Vegetables right there.
Don;t hesitate to make all-vegetable lunch or dinner from this site alone. These dishes aren't rich enough in protein to qualify as main dishes by themselves, but put two or three or four together, and you'll easier reach the fifteen to twenty grams of protein a main dish needs. You don't need to get your protein quota at every meal. Most of us get more than we need. If you had eggs for breakfast, and a big turkey sandwich for lunch, you've gotten all you need. A vegetable-plate dinner from time to time can help you increase your fiber and vitamins while lowering your intake of fat and saturated fat.
The main purpose of this site is to give you plenty of vegetable side dishes you can add to everyday meals. Improving the nutritional balance of a meal is often as simple as adding a second vegetable. It's the single most protective thing you can do for yourself and the people you love. |
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