What Happens To Your Body When You Eat Vegetables Every Day
If you're new to eating vegetables on a regular basis, or you recently increased the amount of vegetables you're eating throughout the day, you can expect to see some positive impacts quickly. From improving blood pressure to regular bowel movements to better hydration status, increasing your vegetable intake is almost always a good thing.
Let's start by talking about poop: When you eat a diet that's rich in fiber — which is found in vegetables — you tend to become more regular. Thanks to the indigestible fiber present in most vegetables, you'll find that you're able to poop more often (and have better quality poop in the process!). That means if you have been dealing with chronic or occasional constipation, a veggie-rich diet could be the solution to your bathroom woes (via Harvard Health).
Remember hearing as a child that eating carrots was good for your eyesight? Your mom was right. Your vision may also improve as you eat more vegetables, thanks to some of the micronutrients found in many of them, including lutein and zeaxanthin, which may prevent cataracts.
Can vegetables keep you healthier?
Vegetables aren't just great for improving everyday health, they may save your life in the long term. Eat more vegetables, and you also improve your longevity. One study done at the School of Public Health at Imperial College London found that eating 10 servings of fruit and vegetables per day was linked to a 31 percent reduction in premature death. Furthermore, it also reduced risk of heart disease by 24 percent, risk of stroke by 33 percent, and risk of cancer by 13 percent (via the Imperial College London).
"Our results suggest that although five portions of fruit and vegetables is good, ten a day is even better," the study's lead author Dr. Dagfinn Aune said, adding, "It is clear from this work that a high intake of fruit and vegetables hold tremendous health benefits, and we should try to increase their intake in our diet."
Your blood pressure will also likely drop to healthy levels if you start eating more vegetables, according to Harvard Health, so set a goal of ensuring at least a serving (or two) of vegetables at every meal, plus plenty of snackable vegetables throughout the day.