The Doctor's Diet: Dr. Travis Stork's STAT Program to Help You Lose Weight & Restore Your Health (31 page)
Authors: Travis Stork
Some people love sitting down to a giant bowl of raw broccoli or steamed cauliflower. They enjoy nothing more than plain-old raw veggies. Unfortunately, I’m not one of those people. When I was growing up, vegetables were an afterthought, they usually came from a can, and they were often swimming in butter or sauce. So it’s been something of an adjustment for me to learn to love veggies.
Although it didn’t come naturally, I made the commitment to learn to like vegetables because I know how nutritionally valuable they are. Yeah, I could probably go days without eating anything green. But if I do, I know I’m missing out on fantastic nutrients. I’d probably start putting on weight, too, because my hunger would send me off in search of higher
energy–density foods instead.
The secret to learning to love vegetables is all in the preparation. Give me a stalk of raw broccoli and I’m likely to frown; sauté some broccoli in a little olive oil and garlic and sprinkle it with a little fresh Parmesan cheese and I’ll probably be nibbling at it before you even get it out of the pan. Same goes for roasting: I don’t care much for raw or steamed squash, asparagus, or eggplant, but if those vegetables are tossed on the grill or roasted in the oven, I love them.
If you’re not a born vegetable lover, try experimenting with different ways of cooking, such as sautéing, stir-frying, roasting, steaming, broiling, and grilling. You may be surprised by what a difference a new preparation technique makes.
| EVERY TIME YOU DO YOUR WEEKLY GROCERY SHOPPING, BUY ONE NEW VEGETABLE. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU MIGHT FIND A NEW FAVORITE. |
FRUIT OR VEGGIE?
Technically, an avocado is a fruit. So are corn, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes. But their savory flavor makes most people think of them as vegetables, so that’s what we call them in The Doctor’s Diet.
| THE COMPOUNDS THAT GIVE VEGETABLES THEIR VIVID COLORS ALSO DELIVER SOME PRETTY AMAZING NUTRIENTS. SO DON’T JUST STICK TO THE SAME OLD VEGGIES—EAT FROM THE RAINBOW. |
WHAT’S IN YOUR VEGETABLES?
NUTRIENT | BENEFIT | BEST VEGGIE SOURCE |
Vitamin A | Helps keep eyes and skin healthy; protects against infection | Sweet potato, spinach, carrots, pumpkin, peppers |
Vitamin C | Helps cuts and wounds heal; keeps teeth and gums healthy | Red peppers, green peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes |
Potassium | Contributes to healthy blood pressure | Spinach, Swiss chard, mushrooms, kale, Brussels sprouts, zucchini |
Iron | Needed for healthy blood and cells | Spinach |
Folate | Protects unborn babies from spinal cord defects; contributes to heart health | Spinach, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, avocado, broccoli |
Magnesium | Helps with bone and blood health | Spinach, broccoli, okra, avocado |
Fiber | Helps lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity | Cauliflower, cabbage, leafy greens, celery, squash |
Calcium | Important for healthy teeth, bones, and muscles | Turnip greens, kale, bok choy, broccoli |
FAMILIES OF VEGETABLES
Vegetables are divided into different nutritional families; some are members of more than one family.
Cruciferous vegetables:
arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, horseradish, kale, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, wasabi, watercress
Dark-green vegetables:
bok choy, broccoli, collard greens, dark green leafy lettuce, kale, mesclun, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, spinach, turnip greens, watercress
Red and orange vegetables:
acorn squash, butternut squash, carrots, Hubbard squash, pumpkin, red and orange peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes
Starchy vegetables:
black-eyed peas (not dry), corn, field peas, fresh cowpeas, green bananas, green lima beans, green peas, plantains, potatoes, taro, water chestnuts
Other kinds of vegetables:
artichokes, asparagus, avocado, bean sprouts, beets, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, green peppers, iceberg lettuce, mushrooms, okra, onions, turnips, wax beans, zucchini
PHYTOCHEMICALS, CAROTENOIDS, ANTIOXIDANTS—OH MY!
If your eyes start to glaze over when you read about the nutrients in foods, especially vegetables and fruits, don’t worry; it’s a completely normal reaction. Unless you studied biochemistry or nutrition, it’s likely that words like isoflavones and polyphenols will go in one ear and out the other. That’s OK.
You don’t have to know what all of these things are—you just have to eat them, and that’s easy if you fill your plate with a variety
of plant foods, especially vegetables, fruits, and legumes.
In a nutshell, “phytochemical” is the name for the approximately 4,000 different chemical compounds produced by plants and found in various plant foods. Some you may have heard of include antioxidants, carotenoids, flavonoids, catechins, and anthocyanidins.
Carotenoids are the pigments that give many vegetables and fruits their bright colors—the orange in carrots, for example. Some carotenoids you may have heard of include alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene.
Although we don’t know the full story of how these phytochemicals work in the body, we do have enough evidence to suggest that they are darn good for us. For example:
People who eat generous amounts of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables have lower rates of heart disease and some kinds of cancer.
The lutein in green vegetables contributes to eye health and may help prevent the onset of macular degeneration, a major cause of vision loss in older adults.
The lycopene in tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and red peppers helps with healing and may protect men from prostate cancer.
Supplement makers have separated out some carotenoids and other chemicals in fruits and vegetables into vitamin pills in hopes of creating supplements that are as good for us as vegetables. But so far, none of the supplements seem to be anywhere near as good as whole foods at combating disease—in fact, in a few studies, phytochemical supplements have actually raised the risk of certain diseases. That’s probably because compounds in vegetables and fruits work synergistically with each other in ways that we don’t yet understand.
Might researchers someday come up with pills that replace vegetables? Maybe—although I don’t think it’s likely to happen anytime soon. In the meantime, you can get powerful packages of disease-fighting nutrients simply by eating a variety of veggies.