The term Vegetarianism originated from a greek word ‘vegetas’ which means totally healthy, fresh and vigorous. It means that our food provides complete energy for the body and keeps the physical body healthy.
Recent studies indicate far reaching benefits of a vegetarian diet. Eating a fresh and well balanced vegetarian diet helps lower body weight, improves good cholesterol levels and lower risk of developing various diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, certain forms of cancer and more. You must remember, that to keep our body healthy and help lower the risk of diseases, it is important to have a healthy diet, that is high in fiber and low in fat.
World Vegetarian Day is observed annually on October 1. On this day we bring to you foods that can be classified as ‘super foods for our body’ because of the nutritional goodness they provide.
Daily intake of the foods mentioned below will keep your body and mind healthy. Without much ado, here are the top 5 vegetarian superfoods and we’ve also included three recipes for each to help you incorporate these in your diet.
1 - Spinach
Spinach is high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that may protect against heart disease besides being a great source of omega-3 fatty acids. Spinach is also rich in folate which helps reduce the blood levels of the amino acid. Include spinach in at least one of your meals to help your heart stay healthy.
2 - Oatmeal
Half cup daily serving of oatmeal contains only about 130 calories while it gives 5 grams of heart-healthy fiber that helps lower cholesterol and keep body weight to an optimum level. Another benefit of oatmeal is that it fills you up and you’re likely to be satiated until lunchtime. Besides this it also helps protect you against diabetes.
3 - Amaranth
Amaranth is the seed of the amaranth plant. Amaranth grain is gluten free and is high in protein, as it contains all the essential amino acids. Apart from the seeds, the leaves of the Amaranth plant are also edible. Amaranth is also known to be a rich source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron.
4 - Moringa Leaves and Drumsticks
A dosage of a cupful of Moringa leaves provides a substantial amount of our body’s iron, calcium, vitamin A, and vitamin C needs. Moringa leaves are known to help with better absorption of these vitamins and minerals by the body. Moringa leaves have also been clinically proven to increase the production of breast milk.
Apart from that, Drumstick which is again a pod of the Moringa plant , helps control chest congestion, cough and sore throat. It’s also known to be a good blood purifier.
5 - Avocado
Avocados are very high on nutrition factor. Besides being a rich source of monounsaturated fat, avocado also helps your body absorb fat-soluble nutrients from other foods. Avocado provides close to 20 essential health-boosting nutrients, including potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and folic acid. Reducing excess cholesterol, inflammation, combating cancer cells, protecting your liver, and helping with weight management are just a few examples of what avocado can do for your body.
