colorful lunch

How colorful is your lunch

colorful lunch

We all know veggies are good for us.  How often do you switch up the veggies you eat?  It is important to get a wide range of veggies for proper nutrition.  Eating colorful veggies like beets and sweet potatoes is like taking a multi vitamin.  They both pack heavy doses of vitamin A, B6, potassium, and magnesium.  Beets are good for the cardiovascular system.  They contain glycine betaine which promote proper platelet clotting and folates which help in DNA synthesis.  They also help prevent and treat anemia and vitamin D deficiencies.  Along with all the nutrients sweet potatoes contain, they also serve up a hefty dose of vitamin B complex (yes that is right they have B-1, B-5, B-6, niacin, and riboflavin which are all part of the human metabolism equation.

The best part is they are naturally sweet so they can also curb that sweet tooth!

Beets (Beta vulgaris), fresh, raw,
Nutrition value per 100 g
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)
Principle Nutrient value Percentage of RDA
Energy 45 cal 2%
Carbohydrates 9.56 g 7%
Protein 1.61 g 1%
Total Fat 0.17 g 0.5%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Dietary Fiber 2.80 g 7%
Vitamins
Folates 109 µg 27%
Niacin 0.334 mg 2%
Pantothenic acid 0.155 mg 3%
Pyridoxine 0.067 mg 5%
Riboflavin 0.057 mg 4%
Thiamin 0.031 mg 2.5%
Vitamin A 33 IU 1%
Vitamin C 4.9 mg 8%
Vitamin E 0.04 mg 0.5%
Vitamin K 0.2 µg 0%
Electrolytes
Sodium 78 mg 5%
Potassium 325 mg 7%
Minerals
Calcium 16 mg 1.5%
Copper 0.075 mg 8%
Iron 0.80 mg 10%
Magnesium 23 mg 6%
Manganese 0.329 mg 14%
Zinc 0.35 mg 3%
Phyto-nutrients
Carotene-ß 20 µg
Betaine 128.7 mg
Lutein-zeaxanthin 0 µg
Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), raw,
Nutrition value per 100 g.
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)
Principle Nutrient Value Percentage of RDA
Energy 86 Kcal 4%
Carbohydrates 20.12 g 15.5%
Protein 1.6 g 3%
Total Fat 0.05 g <0.5%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Dietary Fiber 3 g 8%
Vitamins
Folates 11 µg 3%
Niacin 0.557 mg 3.5%
Pantothenic acid 0.80 mg 16%
Pyridoxine 0.209 mg 15%
Riboflavin 0.061 mg 5.5%
Thiamin 0.078 mg 6.5%
Vitamin A 14187 IU 473%
Vitamin C 2.4 mg 4%
Vitamin E 0.26 mg 2%
Vitamin K 1.8 µg 1.5%
Electrolytes
Sodium 55 mg 3.5%
Potassium 337 mg 7%
Minerals
Calcium 30 mg 3%
Iron 0.61 mg 7.5%
Magnesium 25 mg 6%
Manganese 0.258 mg 11%
Phosphorus 47 mg 7%
Zinc 0.30 mg 3%
Phyto-nutrients
Carotene-α 7 µg
Carotene-ß 8509 µg
Crypto-xanthin-ß 0 µg

 

The next time you hit up the salad bar, throw some rainbow colors on there!

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