Nutritionist Looi Hong Keat lists his top seven super vegetables and explains their super health-promoting benefits.

Are you confused about which foods are best for you? Do you find it difficult to fit all the recommended fruits and veggies into your daily diet? Well, fret no more, because here we have listed our top seven super vegetables – we even tell you how it can be served!

Super Vegetable No. 1: Broccoli – "Italian Wild Cabbage"

Originally from Italy, broccoli is a member of the cabbage family, and can be bought fresh or frozen. The head of broccoli is made up of small individual sprouts.

Why it’s healthy: This vegetable is a rich source of three powerful antioxidants – vitamin A, vitamin C and the mineral selenium. Selenium helps prevent oesophagus and stomach cancer. Vitamin A prevents lung and bladder cancer and vitamin C builds up resistance to cataracts (opacity in the lens of the eye).

Broccoli also contains phytonutrients called sulforaphane and indoles, which have significant anti-cancer effects. Sulforaphane boosts the body’s detoxification enzymes, helping to clear potential cancer-causing substances more quickly while indoles have been shown to suppress breast cancer and heart disease. A cup of broccoli has only 43 calories and provides more than 200 percent of the daily value for both vitamin C and K.

How to eat it: Broccoli is easy to prepare; you can add broccoli to a stir-fry and a salad, or even steam it and serve with chopped garlic and soy sauce seasonings.

Super Vegetable No. 2: Spinach – "Fuel For Popeye"

Spinach is a leafy green vegetable with a delicate texture and is dark green in colour. While spinach probably won’t make you super strong the minute you eat it (as it did for Popeye), the health benefits associated with eating raw or cooked spinach should not be under-estimated.

Why it’s healthy: A cup of boiled spinach contains 10 times the daily value for vitamin K, which is responsible for maintaining bone health. In addition, a cup of boiled spinach also contains 70 percent of the daily value for folic acid (which prevents birth defects in babies and suppresses homocysteine, an inflammatory compound that can lead to heart attacks or strokes), 40 percent of the daily value for both the minerals magnesium (lowers high blood pressure and protects against heart disease) and iron (essential component of red blood cells, which transports oxygen to our cells for energy production).

Researchers have also identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and anti-cancer agents. Two of these flavonoids are lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect against degenerative eye diseases.

How to eat it: Raw spinach is an extremely popular ingredient in many salads. To cook spinach, boiling briefly in water is the preferred method. Spinach blends well with seasonings like garlic and soy sauce.

Super Vegetable No. 3: Beetroot – "Red Root Vitality Plant"

Beetroot (or beet) is thought to originally come from North Africa. The beetroot is a popular root vegetable; it is reddish purple in colour and sweet on the inside. While the beetroot was perhaps first cultivated for its leaves (eaten the same way as spinach), the nutritional value of its roots soon became apparent.

Why it’s healthy: Beetroot contains the powerful antioxidant betacyanin, which gives beetroot its deep red hue. It purifies the blood and has anti-carcinogenic properties, which boosts the body’s natural defences in the body, regenerating immune cells.

Beetroot contains significant amounts of vitamin C, folic acid, fibre, as well as the mineral silica, which helps lower blood pressure and increases the uptake of calcium by the body. A cup of beetroot has only 74 calories and offers more than 30 percent of the daily allowance of folic acid. Its leaves provide very similar nutritional values as spinach does.

How to eat it: Beetroot can be steamed and eaten warm with butter, or eaten cold as a salad vegetable. Beetroot can also be served finely chopped and added to quiches or stir-fries.

Super Vegetable No. 4: Tomato – "Love Apple"

Tomatoes came from South America. Tomatoes, as well as eggplant, potatoes and chilli peppers, were once thought to be poisonous as they are part of the nightshade family (common name of a family of plants). Varieties of tomatoes differ not only in shape but also in colour. They can be red, yellow or orange.
Why they are healthy: Red tomatoes are the best, as they are rich in the antioxidant lycopene, which decreases the risk of prostate, colon and liver cancers, as well as reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, C, K and folic acid. A cup of tomatoes has only 37 calories and provides more than 50 percent of the daily allowance of vitamin C as well as 20 percent of the daily allowance for vitamin A and K.

How to eat them: Tomatoes can be eaten raw in salads, or oven-roasted, diced or crushed and used to season stocks such as in pasta. Tomatoes blend well with seasonings like garlic and basil to accompany fish, veal, poultry, tuna, beef, and eggs. Big juicy tomatoes mixed with a few branches of celery are also perfect for juicing a refreshing drink.

Super Vegetable No. 5: Green Beans – "String Beans"

Commonly referred to as string beans, varieties of these beans have been cultivated especially for the flavour or sweetness of their pods. Green beans are one of a few varieties of beans that can be eaten raw. They are usually dark green in colour with pointy ends, and they contain tiny seeds within their thin pods.

Why they are healthy: The major health benefit of green beans is their ability to lower cholesterol due to their rich source of fibre. Studies have shown that the high fibre contained in beans prevent blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making green beans an especially good choice for individuals who have diabetes, insulin resistance, or hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose).

Green beans are a very good source of vitamin C and K, as well as the mineral manganese, which is important for proper digestion and utilisation of food. A cup of green beans has only 44 calories and will provide you with 25 percent of the daily value for vitamin K and 20 percent of the daily value for both vitamin C and manganese.

How to eat them: Green beans are great steamed or lightly boiled, and even wonderful in stir-fry recipes. You can also enjoy raw green beans as a snack, just like you would celery or carrots – they're crunchy and delicious!

Super Vegetable No. 6: Allium Family – "Jewels Among Vegetables"

The allium family includes onions, garlic, chives, leeks, and shallots. They are important for imparting flavours to a meal, ranging from mild chives and leeks right through to strong onions, shallots and garlic.

Why they are healthy: Onions contain two powerful antioxidants, sulphur and quercetin – both help enhance the elimination of toxins and carcinogens in the body, and protect the membranes of the body’s cells from damage. Garlic contains allicin, an active compound which helps fight arteriosclerosis (hardening of arteries) and dissolves fats. Leeks contain vitamins, minerals and fibre, which help to stabilise blood sugar by slowing down the absorption of sugars from the intestinal tract.

How to eat them: Onions are great served raw in salads, while shallots, garlic, chives and leeks are best for soups and stews, and for baking or roasting.

Super Vegetable No. 7: Olives – "Mediterranean Jewel"

Olives are thought to originate from the Mediterranean. Some olives are picked green and unripe, while others are allowed to fully ripen (they turn black) before being picked.

Why they are healthy: Olives are concentrated in monounsaturated fats and are a good source of vitamin E. The stability of monounsaturated fats have a protective effect on our cells – especially when combined with the antioxidant protection offered by vitamin E – and can lower the risk of damage and inflammation.

Olives also contain a variety of beneficial phytonutrients including polyphenols and flavonoids, which have significant anti-inflammatory properties. In combination, the anti-inflammatory actions of the monounsaturated fats, vitamin E and polyphenols in olives may help reduce the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and menopause in women. Aim for half a cup of olives, as they have just 75 calories while providing 10 percent of the daily value of vitamin E.

How to eat them: Olives can be found in jars and cans, which you can enjoy as a snack. You can also mix olives with other vegetables as part of your salad or as an additional ingredient in pasta dishes.

ANTI WHAT?

A few less familiar terms:

• Antioxidant: A nutrient or chemical that helps protect against cell damage by free radicals. Well-known antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and flavonoids.
• Betacyanins: Antioxidants that make up the reddish and purple pigment in vegetables.
• Carotenoids: Important antioxidant that includes beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin (and others) that especially benefit eye and artery health.
• Flavonoids: The largest class of antioxidants, of which more than 5000 different types have been identified in foods.
• Phytonutrients: Plant-based compounds that may confer health benefits beyond normal nutrition through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms.

According to a 2007 report from Datamonitor, "Superfood & Drinks: Consumer Attitudes to Nutrient Rich Products", the super food and beverage market is expected to double by 2011 as consumers are paying more attention to diet and nutrition and increasingly seek food and drinks with additional health-promoting benefits.

A healthy diet can make a significant difference on how you feel today and in the future. Fifty to 70 percent of health problems can be eliminated if you eat well and exercise – the risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and hypertension can be lowered.

It’s important to eat a range of foods – a healthy diet incorporating a mixture of our seven super vegetables with other common vegetables. This will help you maintain your weight, fight disease, and live longer. These super vegetables will not build muscle mass and strength.

They may even taste unpleasant by your standards. But they are good for you regardless!