Vegetables provide an important proportion of the nutrients that the body needs to function normally, so not eating enough portions of vegetables negatively affects the physical health of the person.
In this report, which was published by the magazine “Marie Claire” in its French edition, Sarah Djegnon said that the World Health Organization recommends eating 3 servings of vegetables per day, equivalent to 400 or 500 grams.
In this regard, Vanessa Bedjay Haddad, a nutritionist and author of “Healthy Morning Breakfast… Start the Day Healthy”, says that eating vegetables is essential as they “provide the body with its need of water, nutrients, micronutrients, vitamins, minerals and fiber.”
“It is not possible to provide the body’s needs of vitamin C without eating vegetables,” Haddad added.
Also, not eating enough vegetables leads to a higher risk of nutritional poverty, which threatens to cause disorders in the body.
Constipation due to lack of fiber
Not eating enough vegetables prevents the body from getting the recommended amounts of fiber.
It is worth noting that a plate of cooked vegetables contains between 20 and 25 grams of fiber, which is about 70% of the daily need for fiber.
Constipation is not only due to a lack of fiber, but to an insufficient portion of vegetables that contain large amounts of water necessary to maintain body hydration, and regular bowel movement.
The specialist adds that not getting enough fiber and water increases the risk of constipation, and may result in disorders including diverticulosis and the development of diseases such as diabetes and cancers, especially colon cancer.
A study conducted by Harvard Medical School in 2019 and published by the American Medical Journal of Gastroenterology revealed that a diet rich in dietary fiber found in fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of diverticulosis.
Weak immune system
The results of a study, published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology in 2016, proved that green leafy vegetables contain sulfokinofose, a sugar that is a source of energy for bacteria in our intestines, which helps form a protective barrier that prevents the growth of bad bacteria in the body, which is usually the cause. Behind the incidence of colds, stomach pain and cramps.
Haddad returns, saying, “The intestines are surrounded by immune cells that protect the body, and in general, failure to follow a healthy diet and eat enough vegetables weakens the microbes in the digestive system, and thus weakens the immune system.”
In addition, the nutritionist stresses the need to include vegetables containing vitamin C in the diet, because of its most important benefits, the most important of which is reducing stress levels and enhancing energy in the body.
Vitamin C deficiency increases the risk of viral winter diseases such as colds, tonsillitis and pharyngitis.
Extreme fatigue and visible marks on the skin
The weakening of the immune system resulting from malnutrition results in a chronic feeling of fatigue, as an American journalist says in an article published in “Vice” magazine in 2017, “Since vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals necessary for the functioning of all organs of the body, it results from not eating enough of them. Low energy levels, which creates a feeling of fatigue.
The journalist adds: Over time, the effects of nutritional poverty become visible. Iron deficiency may lead to hair loss. Dry skin and cracked lips are one of the consequences of vitamin B deficiency in the body.
Double the risk of cardiovascular problems
Besides containing fiber and vitamins, vegetables contain antioxidants that protect the body from the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease and cancer.
According to a study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, the risk of heart disease is reduced by 20% for those who eat more than 5 servings of vegetables per day, compared to those who eat less than 3 servings.
Required quantity
In this regard, Haddad says, “While yellow and orange vegetables contain vitamin A, which is necessary to enhance the sense of sight and vision, green vegetables contain chlorophyll that protects against stomach cancer and liver cancer.”
In conclusion, the author pointed out that fruit, despite containing an important proportion of fiber, vitamins and starches, cannot replace vegetables.
