Importance of vegetables in human nutrition

The use of the word “vegetable” is somewhat arbitrary (based on cultural and/or personal views) because the non-biological definition of a vegetable is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. For instance, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables while others consider them a separate food category even though they are not biologically plants; some cultures group potatoes with cereal products such as noodles or rice, while most English speaking nations would consider them vegetables.

Vegetables are part of the plant family and is said to have originated from different parts of the globe. They are known to play very vital roles in human nutrition and because of their overwhelming nutritive value they are referred to as “Protective supplementary foods”.

Vegetables are valuable in maintaining alkaline reserve of the body. They are valued mainly for their high carbohydrate, vitamin and mineral contents and other important nutrients necessary for human growth and development, maintenance of health and prevention of diseases.

Their nutritional content vary considerably.  However, most of them contain little protein or fat and varying proportions of vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin K and Vitamin B6, pro-vitamins, dietary minerals and carbohydrates. They also contribute minerals(C, A, B6, thiamine, niacin, E), vitamins, fiber and many other bioactive molecules to the diet conferring the beneficial health effects.  Among the plants, they are the excellent sources of minerals and contribute to the RDA of these essential nutrients.

Vitamins are organic compounds occurring in natural foods especially in vegetables either as such or as utilizable “precursors”. They are needed for maintenance of skin, and mucous membranes for reproduction. They also help the body to absorb calcium and phosphorous for bone growth and maintenance. They are also involved in blood clotting, normal functioning of nervous system and endocrine glands.

Fiber is important for gastrointestinal function and it contains valuable food ingredients which can be successfully utilized to build up and repair the body. Dietary fibers such as sponge gourd and bottle gourd help to prevent constipation.

The potassium provided by both fruits and vegetables may help prevent the formation of kidney stones while diets containing recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables may help lower the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart diseases, type 2 diabetes as well as decrease bone loss and other diseases that are linked to food nutrition.  They also contain a great variety of other phytochemicals, some of which have been claimed to have anti-carcinogenic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and antiviral properties. Spinach and tomato contains enough amount of vitamin C to prevent and cure scurvy.

The importance of vegetables in human nutrition has already stimulated consumer interest, and as the volume of vegetable consumption increases more research and development on vegetable production, storage, processing and packaging are needed for quality improvement and better marketing system.