ABSTRACT
The increasing importance of vegetables The role of vegetables in the human diet has increased for several reasons. Nutritional and medical research elucidates the value and role of these foods in keeping us healthy. Vegetables provide essential carbohydrates, proteins, fibers, vitamins, and minerals. Researchers are indicating that components found in vegetables provide additional health benefits such as the following: reduced cancer risk associated with lycopene in tomato and watermelon fruit, beta-carotene from carrots and squash, lutein from broccoli and peas, and glucosinolates from crucifers; lowered blood pressure and other benefits for the circulatory system associated with anthocyanins in beets, red cabbage, and kidney beans; assistance with depression associated with B vitamin folate in legumes and spinach; prevention of age-related macular degeneration of the eye attained from the antioxidant lutein in spinach leaves; reduced heart disease and cancer risk associated with allicin in onion and garlic. These and other examples highlight specific roles that vegetables have in possibly addressing human diseases.
