Fries Don't Count

By Christine Gorman

You know you should eat your vegetables. You know they help protect you against cancer and heart disease. But if you're like most Americans, you've heard only half the message. Vegetable consumption has jumped 20% in the U.S. over the past quarter-century, according to a study in last week's issue of Cancer. Trouble is, we're still not eating enough of the leafy green vegetables, like spinach, brussels sprouts and broccoli, that do the most to promote good health. Instead half of all the vegetable servings we consume are potatoes--and half of those are French fries.

Don't get me wrong. Potatoes are a fine source of complex carbohydrates and fiber--as long as you eat them in moderation and lay off the sour cream, butter and bacon bits. But you and I both know that French fries, which are soaked in fat, are not the kind of vegetables we need. Just look at the latest results, reported last week, of the Nurses' Health Study, an ongoing research program that is tracking the health habits of more than 120,000 nurses. Researchers determined that women who daily consumed at least 400 micrograms of folic acid--one of the B vitamins--in either leafy green vegetables or multivitamin pills reduced their risk of colon cancer as much as 75% over 15 years. Before you decide to replace broccoli with vitamins, however, remember that there are thousands of healthful compounds in fresh vegetables that simply can't be duplicated in a pill.

So what can you do to add more vegetables to your life? I confess that I had to start by adjusting my attitude. About two years ago, I finally accepted that vegetables are not a punishment designed by my mother. The trick, I found, is to add more pepper, coriander and other spices and not to overcook fresh greens. I'm still looking for a good recipe for brussels sprouts, but one cookbook that constantly has me salivating is Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites, published by Clarkson Potter.

Buy fresh produce if at all possible. Canned spinach is a horror. I prefer to wilt 10 oz. of spinach quickly in a covered skillet with a little water and lemon juice or with some garlic and a teaspoon of olive oil. It takes just three minutes to steam broccoli until it's bright green and a little crunchy--and it then retains its vitamins and other nutrients.

Pay attention to serving sizes. When nutritionists talk about eating four to five servings of vegetables a day, they mean half-cup portions. It's not hard to get several servings in a single meal, especially if you add a green salad (the darker the green, the better). But go easy on the dressing or you'll be eating a leafy version of French fries.

Add vegetables and canned beans (full of protein and fiber) to your favorite soups and stews, and try new ones. There's a tomato-lentil soup, spiced with cloves, in the New Basics Cookbook (Workman) that tastes so good you'll swear it's bad for you. I turn it into a one-pot meal, with a slice of whole-wheat bread.

Adapt your recipes. Simmer curried vegetables in pineapple juice instead of high-fat coconut milk. Or add steamed broccoli, asparagus or green beans to your regular pasta dish. The point is to find combinations that fit your palate and your schedule. Bon appetit!

For more on adding a healthy mix of vegetables to your diet, see time.com/personal E-mail Christine at [email protected]