On the Eat Smart, Think Smart exchange plan, vegetables play an important role because they contain the most smart nutrients for the fewest calories of all foods.
Some vegetables, such as spinach, are richly endowed with nearly the same amino-acid profile (a measure of protein quality) as is beef. So don't be misled into thinking that vegetables contain "inferior" protein. Consider this: The steak that you enjoyed last night for dinner came from a steer that never ate meat. And don't forget that many vegetarian world-champion athletes have built award-winning muscles from eating vegetables.
Vegetables also contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, and compounds that help reduce the risk of diet-related cancer. Beta-carotene, for example, is the form of vitamin A found in the vegetable kingdom. Research has suggested that it and other substances found in cruciferous vegetables (such as cauliflower and cabbage) can go a long way toward preventing and even reversing some of the early changes in the body that can lead to cancer.
The following vegetables can be eaten in portions of 0.5 cup: artichoke, asparagus, bean sprouts, beets, beet greens, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, chicory, collard greens, cucumbers, dandelion greens, eggplant, endive, escarole, green pepper, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, leeks, lettuce (all types), mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, pea pods (Chinese), pumpkin, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, spaghetti squash, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, turnip greens, watercress, winter squash, and zucchini.
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