Vegetable Nutrition Facts: Information on Healthy Vegetables Like Cabbage, Kale, Bell Peppers, Corn, Tomatoes & More, Including Fiber, Phytonutrients, & Vitaminns & Minerals

Vegetable Nutrition Facts: Information on Healthy Vegetables Like Cabbage, Kale, Bell Peppers, Corn, Tomatoes & More, Including Fiber, Phytonutrients, & Vitaminns & Minerals
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Knowing the nutrition content of vegetables is a great motivator to fit them into your diet. Nearly all vegetables pack loads of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients like the lycopene found in tomatoes.

While all vegetables are good for you, some vegetables can be considered “superfoods” because of their high nutritional content. In the following sections, you’ll see these superfoods highlighted in boldface type.

Leafy Greens

869310 cabbage

Besides delivering large amounts of vitamins C, E, K, and several B vitamins, leafy greens have loads of minerals such as calcium, iron, and potassium. Additionally, they’re packed with phytonutrients.

Brussels sprout – A cup cooked has only 8 calories but has 22% the daily vitamin C requirement as well as a lot of potassium.

Cabbage – One cup of raw cabbage has 22 calories and 54% the RDA for vitamin C, as well as 2.2g of fiber. A cup of cooked cabbage has 34 calories and 47% the RDA for vitamin C.

Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens – 1 cup boiled greens range from 21 to 49 calories but they’re positively packed with nutrients. Greens have 3 to 5 grams of fiber, about 60% your daily RDA for vitamin C, 200–300% your daily RDA for vitamin A, 10-30% the RDA for calcium, and even 12% RDA for iron in the case of collards.

Kale – A cup of raw, chopped kale is only 34 calories, and like other greens, delivers a vitamin wallop: 206% vitamin A and 134% vitamin C, as well as being high in calcium.

933499 spinach

Lettuce – With virtually no calories, looseleaf lettuce still manages to provide 41% of the RDA for vitamin A.

Spinach – Raw spinach is only 7 calories per 1 cup serving, and has nearly a gram of fiber, 56% the RDA for vitamin A, and 14% the RDA for vitamin C.

“Fruits”

670376 pepper sweet pepper

These vegetables are fruits in the botanical sense, yet they aren’t as sweet as we consider fruit to be, and they’re used as vegetables. The fruiting vegetables below come in an astonishing array of colors, from the fire engine red bell peppers to deep purple eggplant to golden yellow sweet corn, and they carry a corresponding array of phytonutrients.

Bell pepper – A large green pepper has 33 calories, nearly 3g of fiber, and 220% the daily RDA of vitamin C. For even more phytonutrients, try red bell peppers, which also have more vitamin A — 103%, and 349% of the RDA for vitamin C.

Corn – A cup of sweet corn has 132 calories, over 4g of fiber, 5g of protein, and 17% of the RDA for vitamin C.

Cucumber – They don’t carry a lot of vitamins, but 1/2 cup of cucumber has only 8 calories, and is high in magnesium and potassium.

1115338 tomato

Eggplant – A cup of cooked eggplant has 33 calories and 2.5g of fiber.

Tomato – A snack of a cup of cherry tomatoes won’t do you wrong at 31 calories, 19% of the RDA for vitamin A and 65% for vitamin C. Tomatoes are also bursting with phytonutrients like lutein.

Winter squash – Eighty calories per 1 cup serving, 214% vitamin A, and 33% vitamin C, as well as nearly 6g of fiber.

Zucchini/summer squash – A cup of chopped zucchini delivers 35% the RDA for vitamin C along with only 20 calories.

Continue on to Page 2 for nutrition facts for artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas, edamame, asparagus, celery, onions, beets, carrots, potatoes, radishes, and sweet potatoes.

Flowers and Flower Buds

301901 at the market serie artichok

Artichokes, broccoli, and cauliflower are actually the flower buds of these plants (plus a flowering portion, in the case of the artichoke). If you let broccoli go too long before picking it, yellow flowers sprout!

Artichoke – 64 calories per, with 15% of the RDA for vitamin C and a whopping 10g of fiber.

977599 healthy green broccoli vegetables

Broccoli – A cup of chopped raw broccoli will provide 131% of the RDA for vitamin C, 2.3g of fiber, and 30 calories.

Cauliflower – A cup of raw cauliflower is virtually identical, with 77% vitamin C, 2.5g of fiber and 25 calories. It’s also high in vitamins B5 and B6.

Pods

1196201 peas

These vegetables encase their seeds in sometimes-edible pods.

Green bean – Get 20% vitamin C, 18% vitamin A, and 4g of fiber in a 44-calorie 1-cup serving of cooked green beans.

Pea – 1/2 cup yields 62 calories, 4.4g of fiber, 34% vitamin A and 13% vitamin C.

Edamame (soybean****) – Delivers 20% vitamin C, 10% calcium, and 10% of your daily iron requirement along with 3g of fiber, 10g of protein and 120 calories in a 2/3 cup serving.

Bulbs and Stems

44076 celery sticks 2

Either poking up out of the ground or developing a bulb just above or below ground level, these vegetables have edible stems.

Asparagus – 1/2 cup of cooked asparagus provides 18% vitamin A and 12% vitamin C.

Celery – Get 11% the RDA for vitamin A and 2g of fiber in a cup of diced celery.

Onion – A cup, chopped, delivers 20% the RDA for vitamin C and nearly 3g of fiber for 64 calories.

Roots

631903 carrots

Root vegetables store all their energy below ground.

Beet – 1/2 cup, sliced, is only 37 calories with 2g of fiber, and loads of manganese.

Carrot – A large carrot has 30 calories and provides 241% the RDA for vitamin A, as well as being high in potassium.

968583 taste of spring

Potato – A medium baked potato has 161 calories, 28% the RDA for vitamin C and nearly 4g of fiber.

Radish – You have to get into multiples before radishes have more than 0 calories. 1/2 cup of sliced radishes hits 9 calories yet provides 14% of the RDA for vitamin C, 1g of fiber, and is high in vitamin B6.

Sweet potato – One baked sweet potato has a whopping 438% the RDA for vitamin A, 4g of fiber, 37% vitamin C, and 103 calories.

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References and Image Credits

Nutrition.gov: https://www.nutrition.gov/nal_display/index.php?info_center=11&tax_level=1

Images:

  1. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/461823
  2. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/869310
  3. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/933499
  4. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/670376
  5. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/1115338
  6. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/301901
  7. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/977599
  8. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/1196201
  9. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/44076
  10. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/631903
  11. https://www.sxc.hu/photo/968583