5 May 2018 - Swap Your Sugar Stick for a Carrot Stick

Pointers about Buying Vegetables

"Vegetables are low in calories and a number of them rank high in vitamins and minerals."

We have talked some about vegetables in this blog before

In February, we talked about Grades of Canned and Frozen Veggies.

In April, we talked specifically about Asparagus.

Today is about fresh veggies and their healthy traits.

Vitamin A

Most Dark Green and Deep Yellow vegetables are great sources of this vitamin. It is a good idea to include carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, and other dark leafy greens or squash into your meals. These vegetables are also great sources of other vitamins that we need everyday.

Protein

Usually when we think of protein we think of meat. But stop and think where our meat source got their protein rich meat.

Many vegetables are substantial protein sources. Some of the most popular are dry legumes. Beans and peas are outstanding sources of protein.

Low Calorie

Raw vegetables are great snacks between meals. Celery, carrots, radish, or even sweet peppers are great to have on hand for when your hunger strikes

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You are going to find the best prices on vegetables when they are in season.

Go to your local farmers market or grocery co op to find the best in season produce.

One of the best reasons to start incorporating vegetables into your diet is to add some real flavor to your meals.

If you ever stop to read the labels on your processed food sources, you will find that many snacks are filled with artificial flavors, dyes, and they are loaded with sugar.

Now sugar isn't all bad but a lot of it is bad for you.

Everything has some kind of sugar source in it. It is just best if you have sugar from a natural source.

LACTOSE

This is the natural sugar found in milk

FRUCTOSE

This is the natural sugar found in fruits

GLUCOSE 

Glucose is special. It is created by our bodies when carbohydrates are broken down in our bodies.

This is the most common sugar that is created when eating breads, vegetables, and anything that has any form of carbohydrates.

There is a trend in these sugary words -OSE.

If you ever see on a label the -ose that usually means that there is added sugar in there.

I found this article about sugars and what names they go by in your ingredient list.

"The Many Names of Sugar"

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There are also studies that suggest that sugar can be highly addictive. Your body will start to crave that sugar. Your gut bacteria can even begin to change to send signals to the brain to cause you have those cravings for sugar.

Your body is designed to use those sugary -ose sources as energy and extra sugar is stored away as body fat for an emergency back up energy for later.

So be carful around those sugar labels and consider swapping your pre packaged snack for fresh veg.