You don’t need me to tell you about the importance of eating vegetables. Everyone knows this, but, we don’t always follow through with what we know. In fact, the statistics from the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans say 90% of us do not eat the recommended number of vegetables.

These guidelines actually break vegetables down into five vegetable subgroups—dark green; red and orange; beans, peas and lentils; starchy vegetables and other. These subgroups contain veggies with like vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. With few exceptions, the U.S. population does not meet the intake recommendations for any of these vegetable subgroups.

The amount we should eat is based on age and calorie level. For the average adult eating about 2000 calories a day, the recommendation is to have two and a half cups of vegetables per person per day. They get even more specific saying how many of each of the subgroups to eat every week.

Let’s break these groups down a little:

Dark green vegetables –Some of the common foods in this subgroup are  broccoli, chard, collards, romaine lettuce, spinach, turnip greens and watercress. The recommendation for this group is 1 ½ cups a week.

Red and Orange vegetables includes all fresh, frozen, canned red or orange vegetables as well as juice. These examples are carrots, red or orange bell peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, tomato juice and winter squash. It’s recommended we eat 5 ½ cups of these a week.

Beans, Peas and Lentils include all dry or canned beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils including kidney beans, pinto beans and split peas. It does not include green beans or green peas. This subgroup could be part of the protein group as well as the vegetable group. When you eat them, only count as one group. Whether you count them as protein or vegetable; beans, peas and lentils are under consumed by most adults. Aim for 1 ½ cups a week. 

Starchy Vegetables include all fresh, frozen or canned foods such as corn, jicama, lima beans, plantains and white potatoes. The goal here is only 5 cups a week.

Other vegetables are those that don’t fit specifically into any of these other groups such as asparagus, avocado, beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, onions, mushrooms, green beans, snow peas, summer squash, cauliflower and turnips. The recommendation is 4 cups a week.

Obviously, most people don’t really count the servings of vegetables they eat per week this precise. And that’s OK! The overall goal is to think about following a healthy eating plan with a variety of foods including all vegetables. If you know your diet is a little weaker in one of these subgroups you could work harder to add them into your meals. I think many of us get into a rut of eating the same vegetables all the time, by adding more variety you can get all the nutrients provided by all the subgroups.

One of the other things to think about is trying to get them in their most “nutrient dense” form. This means with limiting salt, butter or creamy sauces.

Another consideration is how the vegetables are prepared. While most vegetables are better raw, there are actually a few that are healthier cooked. Beth Stefura a family and consumer sciences educator with Ohio State University Extension wrote about this in her Live Healthy blog. 

Stefura said “while the heat involved in cooking vegetables can destroy some of their nutrients, for others, it actually enhances their absorbability.”  In the blog post, Stefura gave some examples of vegetables that provide more nutrients cooked:

• Asparagus. Cooking asparagus increases its levels of phenolic acid, which is associated with the reduced risk of cancer. 
• Carrots. Our bodies seem to use more easily the beta carotene in cooked carrots than in raw ones. 
• Mushrooms. Microwaving or grilling mushrooms can increase antioxidant activity. 
• Tomatoes. Lycopene is better absorbed when the food item is heated up. This might protect against cancer and heart disease. 
• Spinach. Oxalic acid might block the absorption of calcium and iron from raw spinach. Heat is known to break it down. 

Whether you eat them raw or cooked, the real goal is just to eat more of them.

Source:  Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Ohio State University Extension livehealtyosu.com blog 

Syracuse is a Family and Consumer Science team member and can be reached at N.C. Cooperative Extension, Brunswick County Center 910-253-2610 or by email at Cheryle_Syracuse@ncsu.edu