Green vegetables: list of varieties, features, benefits and harm

According to the latest conclusions of experts in healthy nutrition, green fruits and vegetables are the least calorie, contain almost no sugars, detoxify, contain a lot of fiber and vitamins, which means they are most useful. From our article you can find a complete list of green vegetable crops, their nutritional value and useful methods of processing.

In the diet of the modern person, leading mainly sedentary lifestyle, vegetables should occupy 60-70% of the total food consumed.Regular consumption of green leaves and vegetables will improve the body's work, help lose weight and even rejuvenate the body.

In a few weeks, a person who uses vegetables of this color every day will feel better.

• Improve digestion. Many problems associated with constipation, flatulence, discomfort in the intestines are eliminated.
• Improving well-being due to the normalization of cholesterol, the removal of excess fluid, leading to a decrease in pressure, the work of the cardiovascular system also stabilizes.
• Iron deficiency elimination giving a feeling of weakness and frequent dizziness.
• Due to the high content of antioxidants in green leaves and vegetables slowing down harmful oxidative processeswhich are the cause of many diseases, including cancer.
• Improving the condition and appearance of hair, nails, skin. Mineral compounds have a beneficial effect on nails and hair, reduce puffiness, eliminate toxins, harmful chemical compounds.

The list of varieties of green vegetables can be divided into fruits and green leafy crops. It is important to know which of them should be frequent guests on our table and why.

• White cabbage. Without crispy cabbage it is impossible to imagine both a modest and rich feast in Russia. She was appreciated in ancient Greece. She is a champion in vitamin C and contains a lot of fiber. Fresh cabbage juice treats diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
• Broccoli. Its green inflorescences are composed of vegetable protein and essential trace elements - manganese, phosphorus, copper, iodine, potassium, zinc, chromium and others.
• Savoy cabbage. Its corrugated forks have a lower fiber content than white cabbage, but it tastes softer. Contains ascorbic acid, minerals, vitamin D.

• Brussels sprouts miniature cabbage are beneficial to health due to the content of vitamins B, as well as A, E, K, C, dietary fiber, organic acids and minerals.
• Kohlrabi - Another representative of the cabbage family. This vegetable is burgundy and light green. Juicy green fruit has the taste of a sweet stalk. Strengthens the nervous system and blood vessels, because of the abundance of vitamin C, it is also called the "northern lemon".
• Cucumber. Its health benefits are undeniable. This oblong vegetable contains enough potassium for normal heart function, folic acid, zinc, iron, fiber and lots of vitamins. Especially useful to include in the diet of cucumbers for losing weight people because of the large amount of water in them and low calorie.
• Asparagus. Its long shoots are composed of all the important vitamins, very useful trace elements necessary for men's health. The substance of asparagus (the second name of asparagus) - aspargin, increases the permeability in the vessels, and therefore is useful for people suffering from thrombosis and high pressure.
• Green pea. This representative of the legume family deserves attention due to beta-carotene, vegetable protein, abundance of folic acid, lutein and B vitamins in the composition. Indispensable for people who are often under stress, athletes for muscle growth.

• Celery stalks. Juicy and spicy relative of parsley is endowed with elements that improve metabolism, lower cholesterol, stimulate brain activity, and give energy. Celery, like cabbage, is a vegetable with a negative calorie content — that is, its body spends more calories on its digestion than it contains.
• Green onions. Speaking of stalks, say green onions, the feathers of which are the first to break through in the spring on the site, giving us a large vitamin charge after a long winter. On the greens use many varieties of onions - chives, leeks, batun, lizun, shallot and others. Onion feathers have a more delicate flavor than the onion itself, there are also many useful elements in them. The composition of green onions is choline, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, vitamin K, E, A, sodium and rare selenium.
• Green bell pepper. Another winner of the content of vitamin C, the two fruits of which are sufficient to use to get the daily rate of this essential antioxidant vitamin that strengthens the immune system. Contains essential oils that give flavor to the fruit, a lot of potassium, useful for the heart, iron, sodium, magnesium.
• Avocado - Overseas fruit of the laurel family. Someone considers it a fruit, someone a vegetable, but the benefits of this oily fruit with a stone inside are indisputable. Vegetable fats, polyunsaturated fatty acids, preserving the elasticity of our vessels, a lot of vitamin A, potassium, magnesium and iron are indispensable for the proper functioning of the heart muscle and blood vessels.

• Zucchini, zucchini. Green fruits from the pumpkin family have a low calorie content (23 kcal per 100 g), contain fiber, manganese, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins of group B, C. They activate the intestinal function, without irritating it, are helpful with frequent stresses, increased pressure obesity, as prevention of atherosclerosis. From a young zucchini or zucchini in fresh form make thin chips, which they eat raw.

A large proportion of green vegetables accounted for leafy crops. Benefits for health are not only little-known overseas species, but even simple tops from some of the roots. Let us consider their useful composition.

• Spinach. The huge iron content in this leafy vegetable in combination with vitamins K, E, beta-carotene makes it one of the leaders of vegetables for a healthy diet. Folic acid, pectins, cellulose have a relaxing effect on the nervous system, they are necessary for women during pregnancy. It is experimentally proved that spinach helps to lose weight and maintain weight. In the course of the research, women were divided into two groups, one of which was often given spinach, and the other - other vegetables. The weight loss results of the spinach group were more pronounced. Subsequently, in the composition of spinach, a substance was found that helps produce the body's satiety hormone.
• Salads This large group of leafy vegetables is striking in its diversity. Lettuce, headed, vitamin, mustard, watercress, arugula and others are from the cruciferous family, they are relatives of cabbage and radish. Different leaves have similar composition. Vitamin set is represented in them by carotene (vitamin A), vitamin B group, K, PP, E. Organic acids and salts, magnesium, phosphorus affect the beauty of nails and hair, strengthen the heart muscle, slow down the oxidative processes. The special substance lactucin has a beneficial effect on the work of nerve impulses, and pectins remove harmful cholesterol.

• Chard and beet greens. The unusual name "chard" is only a variety of leaf beets. No wonder that long summer botvinics were made from beet tops in our country for a long time, because this foliage has a large set of useful substances. Dark green leaves with violet veins contain riboflavin, a huge amount of vitamin A (one and a half daily norms in 100 grams of foliage), vitamin K, fiber, trace elements. Lutein and carotenoids in chard are useful for maintaining good eyesight.
• Sorrel. When fresh, it contains carotene, tannins, ascorbic acid, trace elements. Vegetable is a hemostatic agent, activates the bowels, liver. Fresh plant juice is used for gum disease and colds.But much more familiar is the green soup of sorrel, contributing to the fortification of the body in spring.

It is also useful to use the tops of radish, turnip, rutabaga, turnip, horseradish, which grows in the early summer period as a green health aid.

Eating green vegetables can improve digestion and normalize metabolism. It is proved that regular consumption of vegetables of this color reduces the risk of diabetes by 15%. Also reduces the harmful effects on the body of solar ultraviolet radiation. Although the quality of vision cannot be improved only by eating green vegetables, but it is possible to protect the visual function from diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma.

It is impossible to select the most useful vegetable from all varieties. For the prevention of cancer, irreplaceable broccoli, avocado protects the work of the heart, cucumber, spinach, and zucchini reduce weight. However, with all their benefits, green vegetables can cause harm to the body, if you eat only them, so you cannot sit on a green mono-diet for a long time.

Consumption of many vegetables should be limited to 120-150 grams per day, otherwise digestive upset and diarrhea may occur. The large use of sorrel can provoke attacks of gout, it is contraindicated for people with urolithiasis. Fresh cabbage and its varieties should be limited to people after gastroenterological operations, suffering from pancreatitis, endocrine system disorders.

For more information about the benefits and dangers of green vegetables, see the following video.

Greens and vegetables are healthier when fresh than thermally processed. Raw vegetables are used to make smoothies, salads, or eat whole as cucumbers. But some vegetables need to be subjected to heat treatment.

It is important to do this correctly so that the vegetables retain an attractive bright color. First of all they should be washed thoroughly. Water for cooking should be enough, before laying the vegetables water should boil violently. To preserve the green color, you should not digest vegetables - 8-10 minutes of boiling in salted water is enough to cook them. White cabbage, broccoli, color blanch even less - 3-5 minutes, getting a pleasant elasticity of vegetables al dente.

Another secret to preserving color is the “cold shower” of vegetables after cooking. You can rinse them under running cold water or put them in a bowl with water and ice cubes. The color is preserved when boiling for a short time, the main thing is not to overdo it so that they do not darken.