A nutritionist friend once told us something that’s hard to forget: Vegetables are like men. In general, they’re good for us. But as with anything, there are bound to be some dead beets in the lot. So next time you’re heading to the grocery store, keep these hints in mind.
Iceberg lettuce. This is the vegetable equivalent of air. Even if you ate an entire head, you’d only get 90 calories, 6 grams of fiber, and 36% of your RDA for vitamin C. It’s on all the restaurant salad bars simply because it’s cheap. As with all of the vegetables mentioned here, it’s a nice low-calorie choice but just doesn’t pack much nutrition.
Celery. This is what’s known as a “negative-calorie” food; it actually takes more energy to chew and digest than it serves up. (Imagine that!) It’s useful for temporarily holding off cravings (it keeps your mouth busy) and reminding you that you’re on a diet, but not much else.
Alfalfa sprouts. Although these contain some essential nutrients, you’d have to eat handfuls to get any significant benefit. Plus, because sprouts are difficult to wash and keep crisp, many people eat them right out of the box—putting you at a higher risk of salmonella.
Cucumbers. Their fresh crunch is a nice addition to sandwiches and salads. But once you peel away the skin (as most of us do), you peel away the fiber and there’s mostly just water left.
Mushrooms. The white button kind that you see at salad bars has little nutritional value. And since they’re grown primarily in manure and are a bit tedious to scrub…well, you get the idea.
Notice that all the vegetables named so far are pretty bland looking. That’s key. As a general rule, the most nutritious veggies are the most colorful ones. So choose spinach over iceberg, carrot sticks over celery, yams over potatoes.
But beyond garden veggies, there are a bunch of food products using the good name and reputation of vegetables to masquerade as healthy. Watch out for…
Vegetable chips. These are the latest snack rage, but don’t be fooled. If you read the labels closely, you’ll see that they aren’t much different from regular chips. Many contain corn products, potatoes, artificial coloring, and largely inconsequential vegetable extracts.
Vegetable tempura. A sugared batter, a deep fryer—who are you kidding?
Vegetable juice. Although the marketing is irresistible (get a full day’s dose in one glass), what it doesn’t mention is that you’ll also be ingesting loads of sodium and missing out on much fiber, which is one of the biggest health benefits of vegetables. Unless you’re juicing yourself, stick with the real thing.
Vegetable soup. Same predicament. Although it sounds healthy, most store-bought varieties are high in sodium and you’ll have to search pretty hard to even find a limp veggie or two in them. If you’re going the store-bought route, choose low-sodium brands and add lots of your own frozen vegetables. But better yet: just call home for Mom’s secret recipe.
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