Vitamin C
Your
body needs vitamin C to grow and repair tissues throughout your body.
It is essential for everything from wound healing to healthy teeth and
gums. All vegetables contain some vitamin C, but the richest sources
include bell peppers, chile peppers, sweet potatoes, kale, broccoli,
Brussels sprouts, tomatoes and tomato juice, potatoes, winter squash and
cauliflower.
Vitamin A
Vegetables
contain substances called carotenoids that your body turns into vitamin
A, which helps form and maintain healthy bones and soft tissue, mucous
membranes and skin. Vitamin A also promotes good vision. Excellent
vegetable sources of vitamin A include sweet potatoes, pumpkin and other
winter squash, carrots, spinach, turnip greens, kale, mustard greens,
collard greens, red peppers, cabbage, bok choy and Brussels sprouts.
Folate
Folate,
a B vitamin, aids in cell formation and helps prevent birth defects,
and may help protect against heart disease and cancer. Good vegetable
sources of folate include asparagus, spinach and other leafy greens,
broccoli, green peas, and dried beans and peas such as black-eyed peas,
navy and kidney beans, and chickpeas (garbanzos).
Vitamin E
Vitamin
E is important to immune function and skin health, and may help protect
against illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. Normally, you get
most of your vitamin E from oils and nuts, but fruits and vegetables do
supply vitamin E in varying amounts. Avocados (technically a fruit, but
eaten as a vegetable) are rich in vitamin E. Cooked spinach, asparagus,
chickpeas, watercress and broccoli contain smaller amounts of the
vitamin.
Vitamin K
Vitamin
K plays a vital role in blood clotting and may help maintain strong
bones. Green, leafy vegetables such as kale, chard and spinach are rich
in vitamin K. According to the National Library of Medicine, vitamin K
can interfere with some blood-thinning medications, so if you are on
such medications, check with your doctor about whether you should limit
your intake of vitamin K-rich vegetables.
Retaining Vitamins
Water-soluble
vitamins such as folate and vitamin C leach into cooking water, so raw
vegetables tend to contain more of these vitamins. To retain vitamins,
cook vegetables by steaming them (on the stovetop or in the microwave
with a very small amount of water) or quickly sauteing or stir-frying
them in a little oil. Bake potatoes in their skins, or mash boiled
potatoes with their cooking liquid to retain vitamin C. Serve boiled
vegetables such as beans or greens with their cooking liquid.
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