Why is it important to eat vegetables?
Eating vegetables provides health benefits – people who eat more vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Vegetables provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body.
Nutrients
• Most vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories. None have cholesterol. (Sauces or seasonings may add fat, calories, and/or cholesterol.)
• Vegetables are important sources of many nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A, and vitamin C.
• Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Vegetable sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, white potatoes, white beans, tomato products (paste, sauce, and juice), beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, spinach, lentils, and kidney beans.
• Dietary fiber from vegetables, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods such as vegetables help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.
• Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Women of childbearing age who may become pregnant should consume adequate folate from foods, and in addition 400 mcg of synthetic folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development.
• Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and helps to protect against infections.
• Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds and keeps teeth and gums healthy. Vitamin C aids in iron absorption.
Health benefits
• As part of an overall healthy diet, eating foods such as vegetables that are lower in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.
• Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.
• Eating a diet rich in some vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain types of cancers.
• Adding vegetables can help increase intake of fiber and potassium, which are important nutrients that many Americans do not get enough of in their diet.
• Co-Parenting for Resilience Divorce or Separation is not an easy time in a married couple’s life. Can you imagine what minor children in the home are feeling? Co-Parenting for Resilience is a class for divorcing or separating parents with minor children living in the home. It is mandatory by law in Oklahoma and is also valuable for Grandparents and other relatives of minor children going through divorce or separation. My next class is 1 p.m. Tuesday, November 12, 2019; pre-registration is required. Call Jefferson County OSU Extension Office at 580-228-2332 for registration information
Check out our Facebook pages for informative topic and messagess: www.facebook.com/JeffersonCounty Fourh and JeffersonCounty Osu Extension
Orange Honeyed Acorn Squash
Ingredients
• 3 acorn squash (small)
• 2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1/8 nutmeg (1/8 teaspoon, optional)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut squash in half. Remove seeds and place halves in shallow baking pan.
3. Combine orange juice and honey. Mix well. Put some of the orange juice/honey mixture in each squash cavity.
4. Add 1 Tablespoon of the margarine to each squash half. Sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired.
5. Cover pan with aluminum foil to keep steam in and speed cooking.
6. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking 30 minutes more, or until squash is tender.
