Nowadays, most of us eat diets predominantly based on grains and potatoes, frequently with little vegetables and fruits. In some countries, it is common for many people to never buy fresh fruits and vegetables, since canned options are often cheaper, although unhealthier. As devotees we are often not much different from the general population: we eat little vegetables on the sabji (usually most potatoes), but not much more than that. 

This lack of vegetables and fruits in the diet can also weaken our health and contribute to many problems. The truth is that vegetables and fruits should be the main component of our diets, since the body simply can’t operate in an efficient way without a good quantity of it, due to the thousands of useful compounds they include. Although there is a general idea that our ancestors were eating mainly meat over the millennia, evidence shows that this is actually a myth. Human beings have been living on a diet rich in vegetables (be it due to agriculture, or to gathering) for millennia. Although meat was also present in most diets, the base in most cases were different types of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and roots. The human body is well adapted to the different compounds present on varieties of such ingredients and many important functions are compromised when they’re absent. They contain antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. A general rule is that we should eat one to two kilos of vegetables and fruits per day (it can be even more than that if good quality vegetables are available). Vegetables are generally better than fruits because fruits contain too much sugar. Fruits are also good but as a compliment. Vegetables should be the main focus. 

Recent studies show that the amount of vegetables one eats is the main indicator of one’s overall health. This is not difficult to understand based on the crucial importance of different vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients for the operation of the body. Grains also contain some vitamins and minerals, the problem is that grains are very caloric, and thus you can’t consume a sufficient quantity of grains to satisfy your daily needs of such nutrients. One would need to eat 1.25 kg of whole grain rice to meet his daily needs of zinc, for example, without even speaking about the other nutrients. Vegetables and fruits, on the other hand, can be consumed in much more generous portions, and the secret to getting enough nutrients is exactly in the quantity.  

With sufficient nutrients from vegetables and fruits, the body is going to operate in a very optimal way, which will be a protective factor against most sources of damage. As long as one eats a good amount of vegetables and fruits, he can do a lactovegetarian diet, a slow carb diet, a vegan diet, or even a  ketogenic diet, and in the three cases, he will be healthy. However, as soon as the vegetables are taken out, practically any diet will have negative effects.

We generally tend to associate expensive foods with health, but it is not necessarily like this. Vegetables and fruits that are cheap and easily available, like beets, carrots, and cabbage are amongst the best options, and combined with other healthy ingredients they can more than fulfill our nutritional needs without the need of spending much.

Carrots and beets are inexpensive but very nutritious. They can both be cooked in the sabji or other preparations, or just be eaten raw. Ginger is always good, regardless of the combination. You can add it to salads, to cooked dishes, to hot milk, teas, or (if you like strong emotions) even just eat it raw. Another important aid is lemon: if you can take daily the juice of a few lemons, you will rarely get sick. Nuts are also a good complement, being rich in several nutrients, but they should be eaten in moderation because most also contain too much omega-6.

It may not look so, but many vegetables are actually quite difficult for the body to digest, therefore raw vegetables are not always a good idea. The cooking may slightly reduce the nutritional value (compared to raw vegetables), but it makes it much easier for us to eat and digest them. One can compensate for the slight loss of nutrients by just eating a little more. 

If one has difficulty eating a sufficient volume of vegetables, one option is to get a juicer. This way, it’s possible to get the nutrients without the bulk. Two kilos of vegetables usually become around one liter of juice. When doing juices, one should check which vegetables to use. Some vegetables (especially certain leaves, like spinach) are too rich in oxalates, which in high doses can cause problems, therefore these are better cooked. 

There are two types of juicers: centrifugal and masticating types. The centrifugal juicers are cheaper, but they are much less efficient, and therefore a lot of juice is left in the pulp. Masticating juicers end up being better in the long run, since they extract more juice and therefore you need fewer vegetables to get the same amount of juice.

It’s important to, as far as possible, get good quality vegetables. Organic vegetables are naturally much better, but there is a catch: the modern definition of “organic” is not what we would normally think. Farmers are still allowed to use certain chemicals and pesticides, it’s just that the list is smaller. Also, organic certification does not say anything about the quality of the soil used to cultivate the vegetables. The soil is important because soil that is poor in nutrients will result in plants that are also lower in nutrients (especially minerals). Nowadays most people lack a sufficient amount of minerals and trace minerals in their diets and that’s exactly because the soils have become so exhausted due to commercial agriculture that the vegetables and grains don’t have the same nutrition as in the past. It’s better to, as far as possible, buy vegetables from local farmers instead of the big supermarkets: the nutritional quality of the vegetables is usually much better. Even better is if you can cultivate your own vegetables using some piece of land that was previously vacant. 

Another important consideration about vegetables is that one needs to have the right gut bacteria to be able to digest them. Vegetables are rich in soluble fibers and various other compounds that the gut bacteria need to break down before the body is capable of using. If one is eating junk food for too long, he may develop a gut flora that is rich in bacteria that feed on sugars and simple starches and poor on good gut bacteria that feed on fibers. If that’s the case, when he starts with vegetables, he may have bloating, gas, and other symptoms related to the fact that the body is not being able to digest it properly.

There is also the question of digestive enzymes: the body uses different types of enzymes to digest carbs, protein, and fibers, as well as a multitude of specific foods. It is a quite complicated and sensitive process. The enzymes are produced according to the demand, therefore when vegetables are not consumed regularly, the gut becomes slow in producing the enzymes necessary to digest them.

The solution in both cases is to start with fruits and vegetables that one is used to eating and increase the variety and quantity slowly. To cook the vegetables will also help to make them more digestible. Taking yogurt or some other probiotic may also help to rebuild the gut bacteria faster.

Concluding, spices and herbs are also important since they contain a lot of very useful compounds. Certain spices, like turmeric, can even help to prevent cancer due to the elevated amount of antioxidants they contain. An important point about spices, however, is their quality. Many of the powdered spices we buy in the market are adulterated, mixed with cornstarch or other less benign contaminants, up to things like sawdust, corants, and chemicals. Such spices can do more harm than good. It’s better to buy spices in whole form, or at least powdered spices from reliable sources.