5 Healthiest Vegetables You Can Eat

You probably know that vegetables are good for you. Who doesn't? But that doesn't necessarily mean they're your first choice for a meal. That's why this list will provide you with the five healthiest vegetables you can eat, so that you can minimize the time spent eating them!

1. Spinach. Spinach is a classic "icky" vegetable that most of us hated as kids. Still, there's a reason why our parents always told us to eat up. Spinach contains a ton of important nutrients and vitamins that keep our bodies going and in working order. A pair of key carotenoid pigments in spinach are lutein and zeaxanthin, which keep away blue light from our eyes' retinas. This can help with our vision, and it also helps slow age-related macular degeneration. Plus, spinach provides vitamin A, which also boosts your vision. Vitamin A aids your immune system and gene expression, and it is integral to making red blood cells. Finally, this vegetable is filled with folate, which is required for the creation of metabolic enzymes.

2. Broccoli. Another childhood classic, broccoli is another good veggie pick. It's low in calories, but full of essential vitamins and minerals. Broccoli contains vitamin K, as well as vitamin C. This is a big deal! Vitamin C is crucial for the making of collagen. Collagen builds up your body tissue and bone, but it also heals wounds and acts as an antioxidant. In addition to these vitamins, broccoli contains iron, potassium, zinc and magnesium, as well as fiber. Fiber helps with your digestive health, and can greatly reduce constipation.

3. Beets. Beets! These contain different antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents, some of which are being studied for possible reduction of cancer risk. Fiber is also thought to have a similar effect. Beets provide a lot of folate and betaine, which lower homocysteine concentrations in your body. What's homocysteine? It's an amino acid (which are used to make proteins), and high concentrations of it in people has been correlated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease. So, help your heart out and chow down on some beets or one of the other options out of this list of five healthiest vegetables you can eat.

4. Tomatoes. Turns out tomatoes are red for a reason! That reason is the red carotenoid pigment the plant produces. This pigment is a possible antioxidant, and it has been linked with lower risks of prostate cancer, heart attacks, and lower levels of "bad" cholesterol. If that's not enough, tomatoes have also got calcium, magnesium, beta carotene (which becomes vitamin A when consumed), and potassium. Potassium corresponds with lower stroke and heart disease risks, which solidifies tomatoes as one of the healthiest vegetables. And that's not even including the vitamins C, E, and K that are found in this bright red package.

5. Garlic. Wait, don't run away! Garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in human history, and it's got a lot of health benefits (even if it doesn't smell like it). This vegetable contains selenium, which is a strong antioxidant. It's also filled with a bunch of minerals, including phosphorus, potassium, iron, copper, calcium, and manganese. Garlic is known as an infection fighter, and it can be added to almost any dish to provide you with all that good stuff.

Veggies are a key part of any meal, and you can't skip out on them. This list of the five healthiest vegetables you can eat will make sure that your time spent eating veggies is as efficiently managed as possible.