The vegetables – I know not everyone is a fan, but vegetables should never be missing from a healthy and balanced diet. The lack of these foods, rich in essential nutrients for the body, can have negative repercussions on our health.
Here’s how to know when you are at risk.
1. Dishes without color
In spite of the flavor, some dishes are really sad to look at, because they lack color. That is, they lack of vegetables which, in addition to brighten up the meal, also guarantee a balanced diet, with the right amounts of essential vitamins and minerals.
2. Frequent bruising
As explained in Reader’s Digest, a low intake of vitamin C can facilitate bruising, as well as increase gum bleeding and slow healing time. To be on the safe side, you can get your fill of vitamin C thanks to peppers, cabbage, chilli, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and tomatoes.
3. Constant fatigue
Folate deficiency can cause chronic fatigue and anemia. This is why it is good to stock up on vitamin B by consuming green leafy and starchy vegetables, such as beans (black-eyed, red, lima or navy), asparagus and lentils.
4. Infinite cold
If you don’t consume enough vegetables, you don’t even get all the essential vitamins that these foods guarantee, which could negatively affect the immune system, preventing the body from fighting viruses. Filling your refrigerator with green leafy vegetables is a healthy and natural way to fight infections. In fact, these are an excellent source of vitamin C, which helps develop the defenses necessary to counteract free radicals and shorten healing time.
5. Clouded memory
While an occasional forgetfulness can occur at all ages, a progressive weakening of the brain’s processing capacity and a lower efficiency as the years pass can instead be the indicator of a lack of nutrients. Lutein, a nutrient with proven ability to improve learning and memory, can be found in various green leafy vegetables, as well as in carrots, broccoli, corn and tomatoes. Adding all of these vegetables, or even just a part, to weekly meals can be a valid brain stimulus.
6. Stress difficult to manage
Nutrition can play a fundamental role in the body’s ability to respond to stress. Inflammation is the body’s natural response to stressful situations, so you need to eat foods with anti-inflammatory properties, such as salmon and tuna, rich in unsaturated fatty acids and green leafy vegetables and peppers, which contain antioxidants, polyphenols and carotenoids.
Don’t forget to eat your veggies and stay healthy!
