Nutrient Content of Vegetables

Like fruits, vegetables are an important source of dietary fiber and vitamins in our daily diet.

The table below compares the dietary fiber and vitamin content of various vegetables:

Like fruits, vegetables are low in energy content, ranging from 8.4 kcal to 74 kcal per 100 g, with an average of 26 kcal (Figure 8). However, the calorie content of vegetables may increase significantly if fats and oils are added during the cooking and flavoring process.

The fat content of vegetables varies greatly depending on the cooking method used. Research findings show that cooking vegetables by steaming or without blanching causes little or no change in the fat content of vegetables. However, blanching or stir-frying vegetables with oil increased the fat content by 0.3 to 7.4 g per 100 g (or about 1.8 to 44.8 g per catty) compared with the non-blanching method (1 catty = 605 g) (Figure 9). On this basis, the increase in fat content would add 3 to 67 kcal per 100 g of vegetables. It was found that blanching vegetables with 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon of oil increased the fat content of vegetables on average by 1.2 and 3.1 times respectively, while stir-frying increased the fat content of vegetables by 19.3 times. Generally speaking, stir-frying uses more oil than blanching, and cooking with oil will greatly increase the fat content of vegetables.

Eating enough fruits and vegetables in our daily diet can help prevent major non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables also provides adequate dietary fiber and micronutrients. In addition, eating more fruits and vegetables can replace foods high in saturated fat, sugar or salt.

Try to include at least two vegetables in your main course, especially when sharing food with friends and family; getting into the habit of eating a serving of fruit after lunch and dinner, e.g. fresh fruit at the end of the meal instead of dessert; Replacing potato chips and candies with refreshing vegetables or dried fruits with no added sugar as snacks outside the main meal; replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with fresh fruit juices, especially those with pulp; and ensuring that at least one-third of the food in the lunch box is vegetables.

We have a wide range of Metal Storage Round Rotating Bakset Rack and Wire Storage Basket Stand With Wheels for vegetables, so you need to stock up on vegetables for your home. These baskets can save space for storing vegetables that don't need to be put into the freezer, and at the same time ensure that the storage place is ventilated and airy, so that the vegetables can stay fresh.