Get your veggies everyday

Fresh Veggies Day is a great time to think back on what you’ve been eating lately. Have you been getting your daily vegetable servings? If not, consider incorporating more vegetables in your everyday meals starting today.

According to Medical News Today, people in low and middle-income countries are not eating enough vegetables per day. In consequence, stroke incidences in these countries have doubled over the past four decades. Vegetables can be used to prevent these high mortality rates, but unfortunately, fruit and vegetable consumption is weakest in low and middle-income nations.

By adding more vegetables to your diet, strokes worldwide could be reduced by 19 percent according to the World Health Organization. In addition to reducing risk of stroke, adding more vegetables to your diet can also lower blood pressure, improve body mass index, lower cholesterol levels, and decrease inflammation. Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, vegetable rich diets may also reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases.

Wondering how many servings of vegetables you should eat per day? Research done by Harvard University has found that individuals who eat more than 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day had a 20 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke than those who ate less than 3 servings.

Findings from the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found similar results, stating that those who eat at least seven portions of fruits and vegetables a day have a 42 percent lower risk of death from all causes.

So, on this Fresh Veggies Day, keep these facts in mind and make sure to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Here’s a sweet, gluten-free, veggie-filled recipe for you to try this holiday!

Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Recipe

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups light olive oil

2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour mix

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup chopped nuts

3 cups freshly grated carrots

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 ounces cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups gluten-free powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Cream sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl with an electric beater or stand mixer. Add oil and vanilla and beat just until smooth.

2. In a separate bowl combine gluten-free flour mix, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until blended.

3. Stir in grated carrots and nuts. Pour the batter into prepared pans.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. For muffins, reduce baking time to 30-35 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Cool on a wire rack.

5. While cake or muffins are cooling place butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat on high until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy.

6. When cake is cool frost.

Brittany Nieves

Sources:Harvard University, CDC, Medical News Today,Gluten-Free Cooking