If I showed you a simple way to decrease your chances of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and help maintain control of your weight, would you be willing to consider it? It benefits have been proven in studies, have stood the test of time, and even I can testify to it making a major difference in my health. It’s exactly what your grandma used to say…

Eat your vegetables

This will make an incredible difference in your health. Since 85% of Americans are not eating enough vegetables, there’s a good chance that you may fall into that category. And even if you do eat your vegetables, you may not be aware of how much you should be eating.

The recommended daily intake for vegetables is 5 servings per day. The amount may vary depending on your body type, activity level, and age. If you want to see what amount of veggies may be suitable for you, the Center for Disease Control has an online tool that will tell you. Just input your age, sex, and activity level and it will give you a recommended serving size.

Increasing your veggie intake may change your life for the better. Just to give you an idea of the potential benefits, here is a list:

• Reduce chance of heart disease

• Reduce cancer risk

• Improve cognitive function

• Improve weight management

• Reduce inflammation

• Improve bowel function

It changed my health

When I was in college, I decided to increase my veggie intake during my senior year. I was already eating veggies, already health conscious, and in good health. But, after modifying my diet to include more veggies I felt much better! I felt more energized, my cognitive function improved, and I just simply felt… better! I now include veggies in all of my main meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Feeling better is something that facts alone cannot convey. You need to experience the feeling, just as I did. And the only way to experience it is by increasing your veggie intake. As you experience the benefits of eating more vegetables you will be even more convinced that you’re doing the right thing because your body will tell you.

What can you do?

Add a variety of vegetables to your diet by adding a quality salad to your lunch or dinner, eat fresh vegetables for snacks, and get rid of the junk food. For a fresh salad you can buy fresh spinach leaves from the store and throw in additional veggies like mushrooms and tomatoes. What can that salad do for you?

The spinach is rich in the antioxidants vitamin C and E which may lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer; the tomatoes contain the phytochemical lycopene which has been shown to decrease the risk of prostate cancer in men; the mushrooms are a good source of the mineral potassium which is known to help reduce elevated blood pressure levels.

Start now

And those are just the potential benefits from adding a salad to your regular diet! That alone is convincing enough to start eating more vegetables right now. If you eat veggies for snacks or add vegetables to other areas of your diet you will only increase your chances of experiencing the health benefits.

We only have one body and we need to take care of it. We can improve our quality of living with simple dietary changes and increasing our veggies is a big step in the right direction.