Vegetables that pack the most beneficial nutrients for the female body

Vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals, aid in giving you a healthy lifestyle and a trim body, and give you peace of mind in terms of your diet. Which veggies hold the best nutrients for you, though? Each type of vegetable is packed with its own unique vitamins and minerals, which means that eating a wide variety of these foods is always a good choice, but there are thousands of different varieties of vegetables. Listed below are the top four most important vegetables to include in your diet to maximize your healthy lifestyle as a woman.

  1. Greens: Broccoli, spinach, kale, beet greens, you name it. Green veggies give you a dosage of non-heme iron, iron that is produced in plants, which ultimately will boost the amount of oxygen that reaches your brain. A diet steady in these veggies will leave you feeling more energized and cognitive than before. In order for your body to absorb iron most effectively there also needs to be vitamin C in your diet.
  2. Sprouts, Swiss chard, and butternut squash, and even edamame carry levels of vitamin C that play vital roles in the absorption of vitamins and minerals, one of the most important to a woman’s body being iron. Vitamin C also functions as a heavy antioxidant, which ultimately protects the body from free radicals (detrimental by-products of your body’s metabolic functions).
  3. When you think vitamin D, the first things that come to mind are probably fish and sunlight. Although whether mushrooms are vegetables or not is still being debating in the scientific setting, they are packed with vitamin D. You may also be happy to hear that mushrooms are low in calories. For instance, a cup of chopped white button mushrooms delivers only 16 calories. Vitamin D has a wide range of positive effects on the body, such as boosting the immune system, and preventing diseases like Osteoporosis (this is because vitamin D is necessary for the absorption and regulation of calcium, which aids in bone health).
  4. Much like the connection between vitamin D and sunlight, when calcium is mentioned your mind probably goes straight to milk. However, kelp (sea weed), celery, collard greens, soy beans, and okra are all decent ways to get calcium as well. If you are lactose intolerant but dislike soymilk this is probably great news for you! Be wary that consuming too much calcium can have adverse effects on the body, including a heightened risk for heart disease, weakening of the bones, and a lowered immune system.

Fill your plate with a wide variety of vegetables this spring, but adding these veggies regularly to meals will be beneficial to the female body. Eating fresh vegetables rather than taking supplements has been shown to be more effected, says WebMD.

Advertisement

, Richmond Women's Fitness Examiner

Brittany Jennings attended Virginia Commonwealth University and graduated in 2012 with a bachelor's in psychology. Brittany thoroughly enjoys elaborating on health and fitness tips for women, as well as advice on how to live a healthy life while on the go.You can contact Brittany at Jenningsbl...

Today's top buzz...