We have all heard it before…”eat your vegetables!” As a child, many of us would fight consuming that slimy looking green thing sitting on our plate.  As adults, many of our views of vegetables change.  Even if vegetables are not our favorite thing to eat we consume them anyway because of their nutritional benefits.

Vegetables come in different shapes, sizes, colors, textures, and tastes. But did you know that each vegetables poses different nutritional properties and therefore different amounts are needed on a daily basis.  According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate, it is important to consume a wide variety of vegetables on a weekly basis.

	Dark green vegetables	Red and orange vegetables	Beans and peas	Starchy vegetables	Other vegetables
	**AMOUNT PER WEEK**
Children2–3 yrs old 4–8 yrs old	½ cup 1 cup	2½ cups 3 cups	½ cup ½ cup	2 cups 3½ cups	1½ cups 2½ cups
Girls9–13 yrs old 14–18 yrs old	1½ cups 1½ cups	4 cups 5½ cups	1 cup 1½ cups	4 cups 5 cups	3½ cups 4 cups
Boys9–13 yrs old 14–18 yrs old	1½ cups 2 cups	5½ cups 6 cups	1½ cups 2 cups	5 cups 6 cups	4 cups 5 cups
Women19–30 yrs old 31–50 yrs old 51+ yrs old	1½ cups 1½ cups 1½ cups	5½ cups 5½ cups 4 cups	1½ cups 1½ cups 1 cup	5 cups 5 cups 4 cups	4 cups 4 cups 3½ cups
Men19–30 yrs old 31–50 yrs old 51+ yrs old	2 cups 2 cups 1½ cups	6 cups 6 cups 5½ cups	2 cups 2 cups 1½ cups	6 cups 6 cups 5 cups	5 cups 5 cups 4 cups

Perks of Vegetables:

• Naturally low in fat and calories
• Good source of Potassium, dietary fiber, folate, vitamin A, and vitamin C
• Fiber found in vegetables help reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease
• Folate helps the body form red blood cells.
• Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy
• Vitamin C helps heal cuts and wounds
• May help to maintain healthy blood pressure when consuming vegetables high in potassium (potatoes, white beans, tomato products, beet greens, soybeans, lima beans, spinach, lentils, etc.)

With St. Patrick’s Day well on its way I challenge you to eat a different type of green vegetable every day for a week! To help make vegetables more appealing try:

Green Vegetables to try include:

• bok choy
• broccoli
• collard greens
• dark green leafy lettuce
• kale
• mesclun
• mustard greens
• romaine lettuce
• spinach
• turnip greens
• watercress

Ways to helps consume such vegetables include:

• Using a dip or dressing with fresh vegetables such as raw broccoli, red and green peppers, cauliflower, celery sticks, etc.
• Make a colorful salad by adding seasonal vegetables
• Include beans or peas in mixed dishes to add color and flavor
• Keep vegetables cut up and visible in the refrigerator so they are easy to grab and snack on

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and Healthy Green Eating!