{"id":7594,"date":"2026-06-24T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7594"},"modified":"2026-06-24T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:30:00","slug":"eat-your-vegetables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7594","title":{"rendered":"Eat your vegetables"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"tni-source-date\"><strong>Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-06-24T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Add color to your plate<\/h2>\n<p>They say \u201can apple a day keeps the doctor away.\u201d But what about vegetables? They\u2019re full of nutrients, add color and flavor to meals and are low in calories.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eating plenty of veggies has many health benefits<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Better heart health: The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/Fiber.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">fiber<\/a> in vegetables can help lower blood pressure and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/DietaryFiberAndCholesterolOct2022.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">cholesterol<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Disease prevention: Antioxidants and special plant compounds found in vegetables may help lower the risk of chronic diseases and some cancers.<\/li>\n<li>Improved digestion: Vegetables help keep your gut healthy and may prevent constipation.<\/li>\n<li>Weight management: Vegetables fill you up with fewer calories. Fill your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/FocusOnYourPlateMar2025.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">plate<\/a> with vegetables to feel satisfied longer.<\/li>\n<li>Stronger immune system: Colorful veggies contain vitamins that help support your immune system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Easy ways to add vegetables to your meals<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/Recipes\/Breakfast\/docs\/Loaded-Vegetable-OmeletOCT2021.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">veggie omelet<\/a> with mushrooms, peppers and onions.<\/li>\n<li>Choose broccoli or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/Recipes\/SideDishes\/Fresh-Corn-and-Roasted-Red-Pepper-SaladOCT2021.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">salad<\/a> instead of fries.<\/li>\n<li>Load up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/Recipes\/SideDishes\/BlackBeanCoveredSweetPotatoAPR2021.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">baked sweet potato<\/a> with veggies and herbs.<\/li>\n<li>Top your sandwich or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/Recipes\/MainDishes\/Hummus-and-Veggie-Wrap-UpOCT2021.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">wrap<\/a> with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, spinach or onions.<\/li>\n<li>Mix vegetables like asparagus or broccoli into your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/Recipes\/MainDishes\/Vegetarian-Pasta-Primavera.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">pasta<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Include more veggies in your meals or snacks. Go to a local farmers\u2019 market and try a new vegetable. Add veggies to your eggs at breakfast, build a colorful salad for lunch, and swap zucchini noodles for traditional pasta at dinner. <\/p>\n<p>VA offers a variety of programs to teach nutrition, cooking and health goals. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.move.va.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">MOVE! Program<\/a> provides support for weight management and lifestyle change. One Veteran at Eastern Oklahoma VA shared how he and his wife enjoyed learning new recipes through VA\u2019s MOVE! program. It added variety to their meals and got them excited to try new recipes.<\/p>\n<p>VA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/Healthy_Teaching_Kitchen.asp\" rel=\"noopener\">Healthy Teaching Kitchen<\/a> (HTK) program helps Veterans learn how to cook healthy foods, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nutrition.va.gov\/NUTRITION\/docs\/UpdatedPatientEd\/SimpleGuideToCookingVegetablesJun2024.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">vegetables<\/a>. HTK classes discuss <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/?s=nutrition\">nutrition<\/a>, how to balance meals and ways to support your health journey. Contact your local VA to join an HTK class or meet with a VA registered dietitian.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p class=\"tni-attribution\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/news.va.gov\/147619\/eat-your-vegetables\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover how adding more vegetables to daily meals boosts heart health, digestion, immunity, and overall wellness, plus easy tips to include them every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Eat your vegetables - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how adding more vegetables to daily meals boosts heart health, digestion, immunity, and overall wellness, plus easy tips to include them every day.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7594\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eat your vegetables - 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