It’s funny that we as adults are always telling children to eat their vegetables when we ourselves aren’t. Denying our body veggies is a surefire way to miss out on some really important vitamins, though, and can lead to some health issues down the line.Low carb veggies are super good for you, and while we may not like it, adding vegetables into our day-to-day routine is an important step to living a healthier life.Whether you are going on a keto diet or just looking for the healthiest vegetables to add to your routine, we’ve got you covered.
Today we’re breaking down the most important vegetables to hunt down at the grocery store. These are the 12 healthiest vegetables that you should be eating. Stick around for the whole list too, since some of these picks are sure to raise an eyebrow!
12 Spinach
Spinach is one of the most nutritionally dense veggies out there, and a single cup of spinach provides over 16% of the daily value of vitamin A and more than 120% of vitamin K. Crazily enough, all of this value comes with just 7 calories, making it both nutritionally valuable as well as fitting well within almost all dietary restrictions. Spinach has a lot of iron for energy, as well as magnesium, which helps with muscle and nerve function.
Vegetarians and vegans that want to make sure that they are still getting the proper amount of calcium should consider spinach. On top of that, spinach has also been shown to help your body take in calcium which can have a huge impact on improving your bone strength. Spinach has a lot of antioxidants, which can help fight off various diseases and help improve physical health. It also has some of the antioxidants that studies show can help fight off cancer before it can even begin. Finally, a recent study has shown that eating spinach regularly can improve your heart health by reducing blood pressure.
11 Broccoli
Broccoli gets a bad rap because a lot of people don’t think it tastes good, but that may just be that you haven’t tried mixing it into dishes and complementing it with other flavors. This low carb veggie is worth scarfing down even if it isn’t your cup of tea. The nutrition found in a piece of broccoli is really high and you can find your daily amount of vitamin K in just one cup.
The same goes vitamin C, of which broccoli has an astonishing double your daily value. While broccoli might not seem like the most glamorous vegetable out there, it is very versatile, and can easily find its way into a dinner dish. It’s value as a low carb option loaded in vitamins more than makes up for any blandness.
10 Carrots
Carrots have been associated with a ton of health benefits, and are definitely a vegetable that you should be looking to mix into your meals each day. Carrots are packed to the gills with vitamin A, boasting 119% of your daily requirement in just a single cup. The antioxidant that causes their bright orange color is called beta-carotene, and has some cancer preventing qualities to boot. This popular root veggie is also very high in other key nutrients, most importantly vitamins C and K.
A recent review of over 18 studies found that carrots may also help reduce your risk of getting lung cancer too. Carrots are a great option if you’re thinking about, or already going down the keto route.Carrots are on the low carb food list and a staple of several keto recipes.
9 Turnips
If you are interested in healthy eating then turnips should definitely be on your radar. Turnips often seem like they are overlooked by people looking to improve their health through vegetables, but they are actually a fantastic option that have a lot of fiber and micronutrients.
Some of these micronutrients, like calcium, phosphorus, and potassium can be hard to find within the veggie family, and best of all the turnip is low in calories and basically flavorless. It’s not difficult at all to hide these bad boys in whatever lunch or dinner you have planned, and you can even substitute potatoes with turnips for a much healthier option.
8 Beets
Beets are great as an anti-inflammatory, and have been shown to have positive effects on things like hypertension and insulin rejection. Beets are also full of antioxidants, and can really help you improve your gut health. If you are someone who often deals with stomach issues, then the beet might be a veggie you should eat more of. If you don’t like the flavor, you can even hide beets in brownies, and some people eat these brownies for the taste alone.
Beets have long since been linked to heart health too, and eating just a little bit daily can drastically improve your blood pressure. They’ve become popular again recently as the nitrates found in their roots has been linked with an uptick in athletic performance. If you’re an athlete who’s tried beets to help boost your performance let us know if you felt a difference in the comments below.
7 Garlic
If you’re looking for a healthy vegetable that is going to help with your weight loss, then look no farther than garlic. This veggie has been found to help with blood pressure as well as reductions in belly fat when consumed daily for several months. This is a low carb veggie with plenty to offer, including insulin resistance, helping prevent type-2 diabetes.
Studies have also shown that garlic can help lower cholesterol and lead to better blood sugar control, making this an important addition to any healthy diet.
6 Asparagus
Asparagus is a veggie that is important to keeping people happy and healthy. This is a low carb vegetable that is rich in several vitamins and minerals that should be incorporated into everyone’s diet. Among other things, a single half cup of asparagus fits in folate, vitamin K, thiamine, and riboflavin.
Folate is particularly good for you, as it can not only protect you from diseases, but also pregnancy complications in women. Another study showed that asparagus can potentially protect the body from kidney and liver damage. The health benefits paired with how well asparagus fits into a low carb diet are plenty of reasons to give asparagus a shot.
5 Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a great option for people that are looking to eat a little healthier but maybe don’t know a lot about how to incorporate vegetables into that plan. You can do a lot of things with sweet potatoes, and serve them in a variety of ways, but how do they factor into your health journey? Well, sweet potatoes are surprisingly good for you, and one medium sweet potato alone contains four grams of fiber, two grams of protein, and both vitamins C and B6.
That vibrant orange color also gives away that, like the carrot, sweet potatoes are high in beta-carotene, which your body absorbs and changes into vitamin A. There are a lot of health benefits to eating sweet potatoes, but cholesterol and a better regulated blood sugar level are the most important reasons to pick one up at the grocery store.
4 Fermented vegetables
We are lumping all fermented veggies into this list because they give you a hefty dose of probiotics. These are beneficial bacteria that most researchers believe can improve gut health if eaten often enough. This should come as no surprise as the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that probiotics were a great way to improve the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome as well.
So what are some good fermented veggies to much on?
You could try sauerkraut, which is just fermented cabbage, or pickles if you want to stick to the most common options. Also popular, however, are carrots and cauliflower.
3 Onions
Although your breath may smell a little bit afterwards, onions are yet another super healthy vegetable to try out. For starters, they contain a good amount of antioxidants, which are important in helping your body fight off sickness. They also can help lower your cholesterol levels, and are known to fight inflammation problems too. Studies have shown that an onion’s potent anti-inflammatory nature can lower blood pressure and even protect against blood clots.
2 Artichokes
Another underrated vegetable, the artichoke has about 14 grams of carbs in each 120 gram serving. While the carbs may prevent it from being a proper ketogenic veggie, 10 of those grams are very digestible fibers, making it super low in net carbs.
Artichokes contain insulin, which acts as a sort of prebiotic in this case, feeding the healthy gut bacteria that you have living inside of your stomach. If you are scared about your heart health, recent studies have shown that artichoke juice can lead to improvement in blood vessel function, as well as a reduction in inflammation symptoms.
1 Sea vegetables
Most people forget that sea vegetables like seaweed and chlorella are actually bona fide veggies, but that doesn’t mean you should leave them out of your diet. Sea veggies are nutrient-rich, providing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to your body in a way that most foods are simply unable to match. If you are having a hard time with your liver health, or are worrying that too many toxins may be present, Chlorella is a chelator. This means that the chlorella is able to bind to metals and other toxins found in your liver and safely remove them.
One reason that most people don’t incorporate sea vegetables into their diet is because honestly it can be pretty difficult to. The best way to get sea vegetables into your body is probably in powder form, although you can also eat seaweed found in foods like sushi, or try sea asparagus to put into a salad. Regardless, experts assure you that putting in the time to try and incorporate sea veggies into your diet could lead to some radical improvements in health.