Why You Need More Vegetables, Fruit, and Legumes in Your Diet

Smart Health Diet Key 3/12 – Make Vegetables, Fruit & Legumes the Foundation of Your Diet

If you’re trying to improve your blood sugar, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, constipation, weight, or overall health, there’s one simple change that can make a surprisingly big difference: eat more vegetables, fruit and legumes (beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, etc).

In fact, vegetables, legumes and fruit should make up around half of your total food intake - and roughly half of your plate at every meal.

This is one of the biggest gaps we see in the modern diet. Many people struggling with lifestyle diseases simply aren't eating enough plant-based foods. They may have plenty of protein, carbohydrates and fat on their plate, but very little in the way of vegetables or salad.

Even restaurant meals often come with a generous serving of meat and starch, while the vegetables are treated as a tiny afterthought with a bit of garnish.

But vegetables aren't an optional extra you eat because you're "being good." They're one of the foundations of a balanced, healthy diet.

Why vegetables matter so much for your health

Vegetables, fruit and legumes are packed with the vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytochemicals (naturally occurring compounds found in plant foods that protect your health) your body needs to function well and protect your long-term health. They're particularly valuable if you're trying to manage or prevent lifestyle diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and certain cancers.

And here's something many people don't realise: The foods that fill up half your plate are often the foods that can help you fill up without filling up on excessive calories.

Most non-starchy vegetables are naturally low in energy. They're also a good source of fibre and water, which means they add plenty of volume to your meals and help you feel satisfied. In addition, they add loads of nutrients to your meals.

In other words, you can eat a generous portion of vegetables without consuming the same amount of energy you'd get from eating only a large portion of fatty meat, refined carbohydrates or highly processed foods.

That's one reason vegetables are so helpful when you're trying to manage your weight, although we're not telling you to eat ONLY vegetables.

You can eat until you're satisfied—without feeling like you're starving yourself.

So fill only 1/4 of your plate with lean protein, 1/4 of your plate with low GI, whole grain carbs and half your plate with vegetables or salad - an absolute winner!

And that's exactly the kind of eating pattern we want to encourage: one that helps you feel full and nourished, rather than one that leaves you constantly hungry and thinking about your next meal.

Vegetables can help support healthy blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure, getting enough vegetables is particularly important.

Vegetables are an excellent natural source of potassium, which plays an important role in balancing the effects of sodium and supporting healthy blood pressure.

They're also rich in other important nutrients, including magnesium, which is abundant in many green leafy vegetables.

This is why we don't just tell people with high blood pressure to "eat less salt."

What you add to your diet matters, too, It has about double the blood pressure lowering effect if you reduce salt and increase vegetables at the same time.

A diet rich in vegetables gives your body more of the nutrients it needs to support healthy blood pressure and overall cardiovascular health.

Don't forget the fruit!

Fruit is another important source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and beneficial plant compounds.

But—and this is where balance matters—fruit is not a free-for-all.

You wouldn't sit down and eat 30 litchis or an unlimited bowl of grapes just because they're "healthy." Portion size still matters, especially if you're managing your weight or blood glucose.

And be careful with fruit juice and large amounts of dried fruit. They're much more concentrated sources of carbohydrate than whole fruit and are very easy to overconsume.

So yes, eat fruit. But just eat 3 fruit portions a day.

1 Portion of fruit = 1 cup of berries OR 1/2 orange OR 1 apple OR 1 banana OR 1 mandarin.

Aim for at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day

You've probably heard the "5-a-day" message before. There's a reason it has become a global health recommendation.

At an absolute minimum, aim for 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Ideally, your intake should be even higher—around 7 to 9 portions a day. That is what the oldest people in the world, who live in the Blue Zones, do.

One of the easiest ways to get there? Stop thinking of vegetables as a side dish. Make them the starting point. Build your meals around them.

Add them to soups, stews, curries, casseroles, bolognaise dishes (see Eating for Sustained Energy 1 and 2 by Liesbet Delport and Gabi Steenkamp). Fill half your plate with salad or non-starchy vegetables. Keep chopped vegetables available for quick snacks. Add fruit to breakfast or enjoy it as a snack. The more often you eat them, the more normal it becomes.

Meet your "free vegetables"

Some vegetables are so low in energy that we call them "free vegetables."

This doesn't mean you literally have to eat them without limits—but they're so low in kilojoules that you can eat generous amounts without worrying about them contributing significantly to weight gain.

These include vegetables such as:

Tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, mushrooms (except if you suffer from gout), onions, asparagus (except if you suffer from gout), cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peppers, baby marrows, green beans, brinjals, celery, radishes, gherkins (except if you have high blood pressure) and spinach.

If you suffer from gout, however, it's best to consult a Registered Dietitian for individualised advice.

These vegetables are also good sources of fibre and provide a range of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals (naturally occurring compounds found in plant foods that help protect your health).

The more variety of plant foods you eat, the wider the range of beneficial nutrients and phytochemicals you're getting.

So, don't eat the same three vegetables every night. Eat the rainbow!

Different coloured vegetables contain different beneficial plant compounds, so aim for variety: dark green leafy vegetables, red peppers, tomatoes, orange vegetables, purple brinjals and everything in between.

One important distinction: not all vegetables count as "free vegetables"

This is where things can get a little confusing.

Potatoes (preferably babies), sweet potatoes (preferably purple skin), mealies (corn on the cob, whole corn), amadumbe and cassava are all vegetables—but they're also significant sources of starch and carbohydrates. They're perfectly healthy foods. You don't need to avoid them. But because they're more energy-dense than non-starchy vegetables, they should be counted as the starch portion of your meal rather than as the vegetable portion.

The same applies to sweet corn, which is a whole grain and is generally eaten as the starch component of a meal. So, for example, if you're having potato with your meal, you don't also need a large serving of rice or pasta.

The goal is to understand the difference between:

• Non-starchy vegetables you can eat generously

• Vegetables such as carrots, peas, beetroot, butternut and pumpkin where portion sizes should be considered

• Starchy vegetables such as potatoes and sweet potatoes, corn, amadumbe and cassava, which should count as your starch portion

Once you understand the difference, it becomes much easier to build a balanced plate.

And then there's the humble legume...

Beans, lentils, chickpeas and split peas are some of the most underrated foods in the modern diet. We call legumes a Target Food because they tick so many nutritional boxes.

They're a good source of:

• Protein

• Low-GI carbohydrates

• Soluble and insoluble fibre

• B vitamins

• Minerals

• Plant-based nutrients

They're also naturally low in sodium, contain very little fat and no cholesterol.

And because most legumes have a low GI, adding them to a meal can help lower the overall GI of that meal.

Legumes can also help support healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels, making them an especially smart choice for people concerned about diabetes, insulin resistance or cardiovascular health.

They're also a fantastic way to replace some of the meat in your diet. Try adding lentils to a curry, beans to a stew, chickpeas to a salad or split peas to a hearty soup. In our recipe book Eating for Sustained Energy 1, we teach you how to incorporate legumes into your dishes, but all our recipe books have a Vegetarian section with great recipes. You could also try to make one of the dinners of your week a vegetarian meal, e.g. Mondays, just after weekends.

You don't have to become vegetarian. You just need to give plants a bigger seat at the table.

What if beans make you... well... gassy?

Let's talk about it. If you experience gas and bloating after eating legumes, don't assume that means you should never eat them again. It may simply mean your gut isn't used to them yet.

Gradually increasing your intake of legumes can help your beneficial gut bacteria adapt and increase. Start with small amounts and increase them slowly.

If you suffer from IBS or another digestive condition, however, it's best to consult a Registered Dietitian for individualised advice.

A few practical tips can also help:

• Make sure your legumes are thoroughly cooked.

• If you're soaking dry beans, change the soaking water a few times.

• Rinse soaked beans before cooking them in fresh water).

• Drink enough fluids throughout the day.

• Try adding cumin, fennel or a piece of ginger root to your cooking water.

• Use split lentils or peas or liquidise the beans until your body adjusts

And if you don't have time to soak beans overnight? Don't let that stop you. Tinned beans and lentils are an incredibly convenient option. Just rinse them well before eating and remember that they may contain added sodium—so you don't need to add extra salt to the meal.

The easiest way to remember all of this

At your next meal, look at your plate. Is half of it vegetables, salad, or other plant foods?

If not, that's your opportunity! Add some broccoli. Throw chickpeas into your salad. Have a piece of fruit. Swap some of the meat for lentils. Add a big serving of leafy greens.

You don't need to overhaul your entire diet overnight, but if you make vegetables, salad, fruit and legumes a bigger part of what you eat every day, you're giving your body more of the fibre, vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds it needs to support your health.

And that's the real goal of the Smart Health approach: Not to put you on another restrictive diet, but to help you build a way of eating that nourishes your body, supports your long-term health—and is realistic enough to follow for the rest of your life.

Start by filling half your plate with veg. Then keep going.

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AUTHOR: ELIZABETH (LIESBET) DELPORT - Registered Dietitian, M.Sc. Dietetics.

Liesbet Delport has over 40 years of experience helping over 10,000 people improve their health through practical, evidence-based nutrition.

After struggling with her own weight as a teenager, Liesbet learned that lasting health isn't about willpower or another restrictive diet. Her approach is simple: people aren't failing, the diets are. She helps people build a balanced, delicious way of eating they can follow for life.