Cardiovascular wellness with heart-healthy vegetables

Health experts debate many nutrition topics. However, nearly everyone agrees on one nutritional recommendation: Most people would benefit from eating more vegetables.

These naturally low-calorie foods contain nutrients that promote heart health, longevity and overall well-being. A study of 469,551 people published in BMJ found that each additional serving of produce a person consumes reduces overall risk of premature death by 5%.

Other research from the Nurses’ Health and Health Professionals’ studies — among the largest and longest-running nutrition studies ever done — determined that the more produce people consume, the lower their risk of developing heart disease. People who consumed fewer than 1.5 daily servings were 30% more likely to experience a heart attack or stroke compared with people who consumed eight or more servings. More-recent research has helped confirm these findings.

“Despite the connection between vegetables and heart health, few people eat enough of them,” says Tara M. Schmidt, M.Ed., RDN, LD, lead registered dietitian with The Mayo Clinic Diet.

What most people don’t realize, Schmidt says, is that heart-healthy vegetables can be a snap to incorporate into meals they already know and love. “Getting in more veggies doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Nor does it have to be about forcing yourself to eat foods you don’t like,” she says.

Why vegetables are the top foods for heart health

Vegetables contribute to heart health in several ways thanks to aspects of their nutritional makeup, including the following:

Key vitamins and minerals for a healthy heart

Most vegetables come packed with vitamins and minerals known to promote heart health, says Schmidt.

These include:

• Potassium. Helps offset sodium intake and keep blood pressure in check.
• Magnesium. Protects cells from damage.
• Vitamin K. May help reduce the hardening of the arteries.
• Vitamin C. Protects cells throughout the body from damage.

Fiber, water and bulk

In addition to offering an array of heart-healthy nutrients, vegetables are low in calories, says Schmidt.

Take the typical cup of spinach. For only 7 calories, it supplies a wealth of heart-healthy goodness, including hefty amounts of vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and vitamin K. Spinach is also a rich source of powerful plant chemicals — nitrates, quercetin, tannins and phenols, among others — known to promote good health.

“Many vegetables also contain a lot of water and fiber, which slow digestion and contribute to feelings of fullness,” says Schmidt.

In short, vegetables help flood the body with the nutrients it needs for good health while ideally displacing less healthy and more-caloric foods like sweets, snack chips and fries.

Schmidt says that by displacing other foods and promoting fullness, vegetables also may help people lose weight, which can reduce inflammation and further contribute to heart health. “The volume-to-calorie ratio is also beneficial for those trying to lose weight. You can eat a large serving of vegetables for pretty minimal calories,” she adds.

Phytochemicals, antioxidants and heart health

As with fruit and other plant foods, vegetables produce substances, called phytochemicals, that help ward off insects and protect the vegetables from the elements.

“In our bodies, these nutrients function as antioxidants that protect cells — including cells in the blood vessels and heart — from damage,” says Schmidt.

These protective plant substances also help reduce inflammation, contributing to overall heart health.

Phytochemicals often give plants their rich colors, which is why nutrition experts encourage people to “eat the rainbow.” The more well-studied phytochemical colors include:

Color	Phytochemicals	Found In
Red	Carotenoids such as lycopene	Beets, red onions, red peppers, radicchio, red radishes, rhubarb, tomatoes
Orange and yellow	Beta cryptoxanthin Beta carotene	Carrots, corn, lemons, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, yams, yellow and orange bell peppers, and winter squash
Green	Sulforaphane Isothiocyanates Indoles	Asparagus, avocado, broccoli, brussels sprouts, collard greens, green herbs, kale, spinach
Blue and purple	Anthocyanins	Eggplant, purple cabbage
White and brown	Glucosinolates Flavonoids such as quercetin Organosulfur compounds such as isothiocyanates	Artichokes, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, onions, mushrooms, parsnips, shallots

The top vegetables for heart health

The evening news often promotes stories about heart-healthy “superfoods” like dark leafy greens and other brightly colored veggies that house powerful plant pigments known to promote good health.[6]

However, Schmidt says that trying to eat only the “best” vegetables isn’t necessarily the most productive way to improve heart health.

“By fixating on just a few vegetables, you may end up omitting many other good options,” Schmidt says.

First, there’s no agreed-upon definition of superfood.

Second, hundreds of healing plant chemicals are likely yet to be discovered. That means that veggies that lack superfood status today may receive that honor in the future.

Finally, most vegetables likely contain at least some heart-healthy nutrients, many of which work synergistically to promote well-being and prevent disease. In other words, there are no “worst” or “bad” vegetables. So, don’t fall for the “white foods aren’t healthy” myth. Mushrooms, onions and cauliflower all contain heart-healthy compounds, Schmidt says.

For these reasons, Schmidt encourages a different approach:

• Eat moreof what you love. Consuming the recommended 4 1/2 cups of daily produce is much easier if you enjoy the foods on your plate.
• Whenever possible, choose whole produce over vegetable juice. While produce contains more fiber and consuming whole produce leads to greater feelings of fullness.
• Continually experiment with new veggies. Try all the colors — red, yellow, purple, orange, white, brown and green.
• Prepare veggies using whatever method helps you eat more of them: raw, steamed, roasted, air-fried. If the method increases your consumption of vegetables, do it. Even canned is better than none at all.

What counts as a vegetable?

You may be surprised that beans count as a vegetable, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Soft early-season corn — like corn on the cob and corn kernels — also is considered a veggie. In contrast, the hard late-season corn used for popcorn and cornmeal is a grain, according to the USDA.

The USDA’s 5 Vegetable Groups

Dark Green Veggies	Red/Orange Veggies	Beans, Peas, Lentils	Starchy Veggies	Other Veggies
Arugula	Acorn squash	Black-eyed peas	Corn	Artichoke
Broccoli	Butternut squash	Black beans	Hominy	Avocado
Cilantro	Carrots	Chickpeas	Green peas	Bean sprouts
Mesclun	Pumpkin	Edamame	Jicama	Beet
Spinach	Red peppers	Fava beans	Parsnips	Cabbage
Turnip greens	Orange peppers	Kidney beans	Taro root	Cauliflower
Chard	Sweet potatoes	Lentils	Yams	Celery
Collard greens	Tomatoes	Lima beans	Cassava	Cucumber
Kale	Winter squash	Mung beans	Water chestnuts	Leek
Swiss chard		Pinto beans		Okra
Watercress		Split peas		Rutabaga
		Soybeans		Seaweed
		White beans		Yellow squash
				Zuccini

If you find the USDA’s sorting system difficult to remember, simplify the world of vegetables into just two groups, says Schmidt.

• Nonscratchy veggies, which include all of the low-calorie, water-loaded veggies like cucumbers and onions.
• Starchy veggies, which have slightly more calories than other types of vegetables due to their carbohydrate content. These include most root vegetables as well as beans, lentils and peas. Starchy vegetables aren’t bad or unhealthy. They merely have a different nutrient composition than the nonstarchy veggies.

How to incorporate heart-healthy fruits and vegetables into your diet

Convenience, experimentation and creativity are your friends when it comes to eating more vegetables, says Schmidt.

• Keep washed and cut vegetables in your refrigerator for quick snacks. Dip baby carrots, cherry tomatoes or presliced bell peppers into salad dressing, hummus or guacamole.
• Choose recipes with vegetables as the main ingredients, such as a stir-fry, a veggie-loaded caprese or California sandwich, a vegetable and grain dish, a veggie soup, or a salad.
• Sneak veggies into your usual standbys. Blend a handful of greens into smoothies. Add shredded zucchini, beets, carrots or parsnips to muffins, pancakes, soups, sauces, burgers and casseroles. Dump sliced peppers, onions and spinach into omelets. Use pureed winter squash, carrots and sweet potatoes to displace some of the cheese in dishes like macaroni and cheese, lasagna, or enchiladas.
• Use mushrooms in any recipe that features ground meat. Add them to burgers, meatballs and meatloaf.

In addition, learn and practice time-tested cooking techniques like roasting and steaming. “Once you have the techniques down, you’ll be able to quickly cook veggie side dishes without needing a recipe,” says Schmidt. If cooking isn’t your thing, look for frozen bags that can be steamed in the microwave.

How to roast vegetables

Roasting caramelizes and sweetens produce, leading to delicious side dishes the whole family will love. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut veggies into similar-sized pieces. Add spices like garlic, rosemary or thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix together. Place on a baking sheet and roast 10 to 50 minutes until tender.

How to steam vegetables

Add an inch of water to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Place cut veggies in a steamer basket and lower into the pot. Cover and allow the veggies to steam until tender, but slightly firm.

How to saute vegetables

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high. Add a teaspoon of minced garlic. One minute later, add sliced veggies of your choice, along with spices like oregano, rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables have wilted.

Have kids (or adults) in your family who don’t yet love vegetables? Don’t force them to eat foods they don’t like, which will only make the veggie experience even worse. Instead, opt for fruit, which offers many of the same benefits.