TLDR: which specific vegetables in which amounts does a human need to be healthy?

Obviously we're all told we need to eat our vegetables - but I don't think a diet of corn and potatoes is what is being referred to.

Okay - green vegetables - if I just eat green beans at every meal, but no other vegetables, is that okay?

I want someone to tell me which vegetables I need to be eating. I have tried to find this on the internet, but apparently my google skills are lacking because it just comes up with "Top 15 Healthiest Vegetables" lists - am I supposed to make sure I'm eating all 15 of those??

And I'm sure some people will say something like "just eat a balanced healthy diet of the vegetables you like" - okay, well then we're back to corn and potatoes. Typically my diet consists of several protein shakes a day and then one meal in the evening of lean meat and either brussels sprouts or asparagus, because those are two vegetables that are easy to cook that I enjoy. But I'm guessing I need more than that.

Ideally I'd like to specifically which vegetables in which ratios a human needs to be their absolute healthiest and I'll just take them and blend them up in to a smoothie and choke them down to be healthy. And then eat stuff I actually enjoy the rest of my meals.

on your protein shakes, I assume you make them in a blender?
Just add in some fresh spinach, carrots, celery, lettuce, cucumber or whatever. Requires no cooking; you're getting the fresh, healthy veggies with little/no effort.
I do this for breakfast every day - mix of fruit, juice & veggies.

You're way overcomplicating this. Eat a balanced blend of vegetables. And fwiw, potatoes and corn are carbs. So, avoid carbs, or eat in moderation, if that's what you're asking

ETA: if you're just blending up a mix of vegetables to drink once a day, then eat whatever you want the rest of the day, that's not healthy, IMO. And if that's what you really want, why not just get the V8 veggie drinks.

Thank you for the thoughtful response. I will say that my post probably didn't give enough insight, judging off a couple of your responses.

I currently am 13% body fat and am probably healthier than 95% of Americans by most metrics. My diet does stay pretty healthy - protein shakes and meals consisting of lean meat and veggies during the work week. I do binge on the weekends and eat pizza, wings, etc. which I know is not ideal, but I feel I do better than most.

But as mentioned, the main vegetables I eat right now are Brussels sprouts and asparagus. As your final comment mentioned, I think my main concern is missing out on specific nutrients in my diet, so I may really need to target a multivitamin.

wow dear diary here

you already had the answer you were looking for

Matsui said:

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wow dear diary here

you already had the answer you were looking for

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And what is that? Take a multivitamin?

So it's true that we can just take a multivitamin rather than eating our veggies? Wow, that was easy. Wish the health community would get that info out there as it would make life much easier for a LOT of people

BusterAg said:

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1) Unless you are skinny, don't eat many starches. Corn, potatoes, carrots, bread should all be treats, not staples.

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I've never heard of carrots as being anything other than outstanding for you - unless you're slathering them in ranch

Cauliflower, spinach, zucchini, squash, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, avocado, olives, celery, tomatoes. You can incorporate a lot of those in a Greek Salad add some cheese like Feta, Mozzarella and Parm to your salad. Use or make a Greek dressing has no carbs. A lot of the other veggies like cauliflower, zucchini, squash, cabbage can be made many ways as well grill them, bake them, saute them and so forth.

Strange rant by OP

ATM9000 said:

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Strange rant by OP

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I don't see why it's considered a rant, I was genuinely asking a question. Maybe my choice of emojis, I honestly struggled which to pick and opted for that one more in a joking manner (though admittedly, I don't expect anyone got it that way).

Anyhow, the way popular media and education conditions us, we're lead to believe that eating vegetables is of vital importance to our health. But for the life of me, I cannot find WHICH ones we need to eat. Which do we prioritize?

I don't consider that a rant, but yes I have been a bit frustrated over the lack of clarity available.

TheOC16 said:

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Ideally I'd like to specifically which vegetables in which ratios a human needs to be their absolute healthiest and I'll just take them and blend them up in to a smoothie and choke them down to be healthy. And then eat stuff I actually enjoy the rest of my meals.

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I eat about one large container of spring mix a week by blending it with frozen blueberries, frozen bananas, PB2 protein powder, and water. I like salads, too, but they take too long to eat.

I would add cilantro and asparagus separately for their nutritional benefits. The latter tastes great if you cook it right, just like other vegetables when roasting them.

If I ate what you eat I would look like POW, unless I just sat on my arse all day long. I burn 3000 - 4000 calories a day based on Fitbit, protein shakes and one meal would probably have me around 1500 calorie deficit per day!

TheOC16 said:

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ATM9000 said:

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Strange rant by OP

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I don't see why it's considered a rant, I was genuinely asking a question. Maybe my choice of emojis, I honestly struggled which to pick and opted for that one more in a joking manner (though admittedly, I don't expect anyone got it that way).

Anyhow, the way popular media and education conditions us, we're lead to believe that eating vegetables is of vital importance to our health. But for the life of me, I cannot find WHICH ones we need to eat. Which do we prioritize?

I don't consider that a rant, but yes I have been a bit frustrated over the lack of clarity available.

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But how is this different than any other food?

ATM9000 said:

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TheOC16 said:

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ATM9000 said:

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Strange rant by OP

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I don't see why it's considered a rant, I was genuinely asking a question. Maybe my choice of emojis, I honestly struggled which to pick and opted for that one more in a joking manner (though admittedly, I don't expect anyone got it that way).

Anyhow, the way popular media and education conditions us, we're lead to believe that eating vegetables is of vital importance to our health. But for the life of me, I cannot find WHICH ones we need to eat. Which do we prioritize?

I don't consider that a rant, but yes I have been a bit frustrated over the lack of clarity available.

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But how is this different than any other food?

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The other foods are either not necessary (carbs, fruits, dairy, sweets, etc.) or there actually is a wealth of detailed information on the specifics of consumption needs available (protein).

While I believe the perfect human diet is a relative idea (keto/paleo/iifym/etc.), the ones that we are told are absolutes for everyone is getting enough protein, and getting enough veggies. And there is a wealth of information out there on the proper amount, types, and sources of protein that people need. So I'd say that the difference is that it is the one absolutely necessary dietary requirement (unless as Matsui is leading me to believe, we can just replace them with a multivitamin...) that does not have good specifics out there. Hence my question.

TheOC16 said:

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ATM9000 said:

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TheOC16 said:

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ATM9000 said:

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Strange rant by OP

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I don't see why it's considered a rant, I was genuinely asking a question. Maybe my choice of emojis, I honestly struggled which to pick and opted for that one more in a joking manner (though admittedly, I don't expect anyone got it that way).

Anyhow, the way popular media and education conditions us, we're lead to believe that eating vegetables is of vital importance to our health. But for the life of me, I cannot find WHICH ones we need to eat. Which do we prioritize?

I don't consider that a rant, but yes I have been a bit frustrated over the lack of clarity available.

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But how is this different than any other food?

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The other foods are either not necessary (carbs, fruits, dairy, sweets, etc.) or there actually is a wealth of detailed information on the specifics of consumption needs available (protein).

While I believe the perfect human diet is a relative idea (keto/paleo/iifym/etc.), the ones that we are told are absolutes for everyone is getting enough protein, and getting enough veggies. And there is a wealth of information out there on the proper amount, types, and sources of protein that people need. So I'd say that the difference is that it is the one absolutely necessary dietary requirement (unless as Matsui is leading me to believe, we can just replace them with a multivitamin...) that does not have good specifics out there. Hence my question.

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I think it's an interesting and somewhat valid question - but since no two people are really alike - variety is really the spice of life.
Eat the rainbow - green purple orange etc.

A multi vitamin is mostly pissed out


Cruciferous vegetables are your best bet

Also, throw in spinach and swiss chard


But I prefer color to my plate, so I use a lot of bell peppers, carrots, sugar snap peas, mushrooms (not a vegetable, I know), tomatoes, and squash (more colorful the flesh the better)

Gonna add raw broccoli for fat loss and cucumber, though I think it's technically a fruit. I usually have a pitcher of water in the fridge with it and lemon.

The simple answer is eat all the vegetables.

Unpopular take; vegetables (cruciferous in particular) are overrated.

I choose to eat mostly meat and fruit; if you want to eat veggies then do so (I like seared brussels every now and again despite the gas it gives me) but don't stress out over not getting enough, there are way more nutritionally dense options elsewhere in the food world for humans to eat.

FWIW I've made my living in the fresh produce business for most of my life, flame away.

Add something like Green Vibrance to your smoothie to assist hitting your daily requirements. I add it to my smoothies at lunch with whey and a handful of dates. For dinner it's just a lean protein with asparagus, broccoli or a large salad.

It sounds like you need to check out the carnivore diet.

CrawfordAg said:

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Add something like Green Vibrance to your smoothie to assist hitting your daily requirements. I add it to my smoothies at lunch with whey and a handful of dates. For dinner it's just a lean protein with asparagus, broccoli or a large salad.

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Is this like Athletic Greens? Tim Ferris is always pushing that stuff but of course he is an affiliate.

I eat a LOT of veggies but am not a fan. The way I tolerate them is this:

• Buy a bunch of different colors
• Get out the Cuisinart
• Chop them up together
• At each meal, scoop out some veggies and salute

It's the best way I know to hide the taste of mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, and others on my "not my favorites" list.

TheOC16 said:

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ATM9000 said:

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TheOC16 said:

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ATM9000 said:

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Strange rant by OP

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I don't see why it's considered a rant, I was genuinely asking a question. Maybe my choice of emojis, I honestly struggled which to pick and opted for that one more in a joking manner (though admittedly, I don't expect anyone got it that way).

Anyhow, the way popular media and education conditions us, we're lead to believe that eating vegetables is of vital importance to our health. But for the life of me, I cannot find WHICH ones we need to eat. Which do we prioritize?

I don't consider that a rant, but yes I have been a bit frustrated over the lack of clarity available.

---

But how is this different than any other food?

---

The other foods are either not necessary (carbs, fruits, dairy, sweets, etc.) or there actually is a wealth of detailed information on the specifics of consumption needs available (protein).

While I believe the perfect human diet is a relative idea (keto/paleo/iifym/etc.), the ones that we are told are absolutes for everyone is getting enough protein, and getting enough veggies. And there is a wealth of information out there on the proper amount, types, and sources of protein that people need. So I'd say that the difference is that it is the one absolutely necessary dietary requirement (unless as Matsui is leading me to believe, we can just replace them with a multivitamin...) that does not have good specifics out there. Hence my question.

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There is no "list" because 1. everybody is different and will require different needs and 2. it depends on your diet, what your goals are, etc.

There is no such thing as a "one size fits all" for any scenario.

Ideally you keep your starchy/carb consumption down and keep your intake of greens higher. Which means less corn, potatoes, rice, carrots, etc. and higher consumption of broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, bell peppers, asparagus, radishes, brussel sprouts, etc.

Most legumes are higher in starch or carbs, so keep things like green beans, peas, beans, etc. in the same category as corn and potatoes - smaller amounts.

Throw in some fruit as well, but be careful with fruit as most of it contains a fair amount of sugars.

Likely very similar, I like the fact that they list all ingredients and don't use the "proprietary blend" facade. It is not a direct replacement for your daily allowance but serves as a supplement to get you where you need to be if you're not consuming enough.

https://vibranthealth.com/info-hq/green-vibrance-complete-overview/

aggiebrad94 said:

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I eat a LOT of veggies but am not a fan. The way I tolerate them is this:

• Buy a bunch of different colors
• Get out the Cuisinart
• Chop them up together
• At each meal, scoop out some veggies and salute

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CrawfordAg said:

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Likely very similar, I like the fact that they list all ingredients and don't use the "proprietary blend" facade. It is not a direct replacement for your daily allowance but serves as a supplement to get you where you need to be if you're not consuming enough.

https://vibranthealth.com/info-hq/green-vibrance-complete-overview/

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Yeah that stuff is half the price of Athletic Greens. I think I'll give them a try.

https://athleticgreens.com/en#offers

All of them, but my nutritionist says the cruciferous variety are likely the most important nutritionally; broccoli, Brussels, cauliflower, spinach, etc. Green Leafys..

I have no idea if it is accurate, but I read an article a few weeks ago that made the claim that mushrooms are great antioxidants if you eat a couple of mushrooms every day, it can reduce your risk of cancer by something like 43%.