You should eat a minimum of five serving of vegetables and fruits  daily.

Nutrients

Vegetables are excellent source of beta-carotene as well as vitamin C and some B vitamins. These help to keep your skin and eyes healthy and your bones strong. They work with other vitamins and minerals to keep muscles healthy.

Vegetables are an good source of potassium and fibre, which plays important role in the diet, like they reduced incidence of cardiovascular disease in those countries where a high fibre diet is the norm.

Fibre help to keep the intestinal tract in good working order and may help reduce the risk of colon cancer.
A high fibre diet is often low in fat while providing  a feeling of satiety, or fullness, without adding unnecessary calories. Fibre can play important role in weight loss control.

Eating more fruits and vegetables matters when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight—and it may even reduce your family’s risk of many diseases. Every step towards getting more physical activity also matters in weight management and overall health. You can help your family be at their best by encouraging a balance of diet and exercise!

Eat raw vegetables, such as peppers and celery, as often as possible, to benefit from their optimum nutritional content.

Vegetables are important sources of vitamins, but these delicate micronutrients are easily destroyed by heat. It is therefore best to eat your daily servings raw like salads, baby carrots, celery sticks or sliced pepper or cucumber.

When you have to cook vegetables, you have to do  so for the minimum amounts of time and in as little liquid as possible, in order to retain their valuable nutrients. Suitable methods of cooking vegetables include steaming, stir-frying, sautéing, microwaving and poaching. You have to avoid adding saturated fat in the form of butter or cream sauces. If need additional flavouring add some fresh chopped herbs, fresh ground black pepper or lemon.

Providing you are eating about one-third of the diet as fruits & vegetables, you should notice rapid weight loss because the ample fruit consumption helps fill the stomach faster encouraging less high calorie foods to be consumed. The total calorie consumption will automatically reduce even if we are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables. There is such a variety of fruits available that many can be freely eaten without consuming too many calories thereby controlling weight more effectively.

Best vegetables

High fruit and vegetable consumption has been associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, several common cancers, and other chronic diseases (such as macular degeneration and cataracts). 

Asparagus Aside from promoting healthy skin, asparagus also contains fiber and vitamin B6. It is a good food for pregnant women to consume due its high levels of folate, which also promotes heart health. Another advantage is that it is low in sodium, but contains potassium, and helps to maintain a healthy large intestine.

Broccoli is high in vitamin C, soluble fiber and also contains calcium and iron, which is why your parents always want you to finish your broccoli. Also, broccoli may provide anti-cancer effects. The findings from multiple research studies indicate that consuming vegetables from the cruciform family can reduce the risk of certain cancers, such as lung, bladder, stomach, and prostate cancer. Broccoli resembles miniature trees and they consist of the flower buds (florets) and the stalks. The florets contain much more beta-carotene than the stalks, and often the stalks are discarded during cooking or the freezing process. Therefore, packaged frozen broccoli typically has a slightly different in nutrient content than fresh broccoli. The best way to cook broccoli is to steam the vegetable until it is tender. Unlike boiling broccoli, steaming it prevents leaching of the nutrients into the water.

Carrots Apart from being one of the most commonly used, it is the best source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. They are also known to help strengthen the vision, in particular night vision. The beta-carotene in carrots is an antioxidant combating the free radicals that contribute to conditions like cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration. Carrots can also be used to regulate blood sugar levels and are good for the health of the colon. For each 100 gram, the carrot has 7.6 gram of carbohydrate, 0.6 gram of protein, 0.3 gram of fat, 30 milligram of calcium and 0.6 milligram of iron. Also, it is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, biotin, potassium and thiamine.

Celery The leaves are eaten for diabetes and the roots for dropsy, the condition of excess fluid in the body. The stalks are considered more valuable than the branches. In addition, celery seeds have many uses. Celery provides an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. It is a very good source of folic acid, potassium, and vitamins B1 and B6. Celery also offers a good source of vitamin B2 and calcium.  The seeds are used to add flavor or spice to foods. Sometimes the seed are ground and mixed with sale to create “celery salt”. Another use for the seeds is in the production of volatile oil—oil that is used to make certain perfumes and pharmaceuticals (medicinal drugs). Celery is not only a great snack for you and a crispy addition to a salad, but it can be used as food for small rodents, horses, and birds, too. The presence of the essential oils makes celery special. They are also found in the seeds & can be added to the juice also. These oils have a specific effect on the regulation of the nervous system, and have a great calming influence. Celery is used for its strong stimulating and beneficial effect on a weak sexual system, but as is usual with plant therapies the normally active person does not have to fear an uncontrollable upsurge.

Collard Greens have high levels of calcium, Vitamin E, and beta-carotene. In addition to these nutrients, it also boasts high selenium content. Green leafy vegetables, such as kale, chard, collard greens, spinach, parsley and dark green and red leaf lettuce are high in carotenoids and best eaten raw in salads, on healthy sandwiches, lightly steamed or in nutritious soups. Collard greens are packed with nutrition. As other vegetables in the cabbage family, collard greens provide anticancer properties. They offer an excellent source of vitamins B6 and C, carotenes, chlorophyll, and manganese. One cup of collard greens provides more than 70 percent of the RDA for vitamin C. Collard greens are also a very good source of fiber, and several minerals, including iron, copper, and calcium. They also offer a good source of vitamins B1, B2, and E.

Eggplant Studies have indicated that eggplant may have a protective effect on the brain. The fact that they are low in calories makes it a popular food among dieters and health conscious individuals. This vegetable has high levels of copper, potassium and fiber. Eggplants positive effect on cardiovascular health is well documented. Low in calories and sodium, eggplant can also be counted on to deliver plenty of minerals. Eggplant also contains the phytochemical monoterpene that may be helpful in preventing the growth of cancer cells. Eggplants not only feature a number of vitamins, proteins and minerals but also contain important phytonutrients. These phytonutrients are known to act as antioxidant. In phytonutrients found in eggplants, there are phenolic compounds, such as caffeic and chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids, like nasunin. Potassium in eggplants brings a balance in salt intake and maintains a nice level of hydration. It also plays a role in regulating blood pressure. Eggplants also contain folate, magnesium and niacin as well as copper, manganese and thiamine (vitamin B1).

Onions This unassuming bulb actually offers more health benefits than you may think. They help to lower blood sugar levels in addition to promoting good cardiovascular health. It has been proven that adding onions to your diet can reduce your risk of developing certain cancers and contribute to gastrointestinal health. Onion contains a flavonoid called quercetin which can reduce blood pressure and inhibit signal transduction pathways in vitro that regulate cardiac hypertrophy. Actually, quercetin has powerful chemical and biological activities including chelatin, free-radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. Onion also contains large amounts of triterpenic acids and amino acids. Thus, onion has excellent health benefits on wound and scar healing. Consumption of onion is also linked to decreased prostate cancer mortality risk. And in a test-tube study, quercetin protects against the genotoxic effects of atrazine

Spinach  actually protects us from a number of illnesses like arthritis, heart disease and osteoporosis. Studies have shown that spinach contains a minimum of 13 flavonoid compounds. Serious illnesses like ovarian and prostate cancer can also be helped by consumption of spinach.

 Sweet Potatoes . Sweet potato is rich in Vitamin A (betacarotene) and Vitamin C. Both Vitamins A and C are powerful antioxidants that work in the body to remove free radicals, this free radicals are chemicals that damage cells. They are also thought to be able to lessen the effects of asthma and arthritis due to their anti-inflammatory tendencies. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of iron, calcium and fiber, and best of all they can be used in a number of recipes. Potassium is necessary for normal blood pressure. May be helpful for hemorrhoid because of its high fiber content. Sweet potato may help prevent cancer in glands and organs with epithelial tissue due to its high Vitamin A content.

Tomato is a natural antiseptic therefore it can help protect against infection Nicotinic acid in tomatoes can help to reduce blood cholesterol, thus helps prevent heart diseases. Vitamin K in tomatoes helps to prevent hemorrhages. Tomato contain lycopene (the red pigment in tomato), this pigment is a powerful antioxidant that can also fight cancer cells. A large consumption of tomato can help improve skin texture and color.

For the best results, try to eat a wide variety every day. Deeply colored vegetables and fruits contain the most vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. This includes all dark green, deep red, purple, and bright orange or yellow plant foods. Eat more dark-green veggies like broccoli, spinach, and other dark leafy greens.