DEAR DOCTOR,

I’m not very keen about eating vegetables but I’ve heard about taking supplements that can fill that gap and boost my health. What kind of supplements would you recommend? 

CLAIRE

DEAR CLAIRE, 

Why are you not keen on eating vegetables? Do you dislike the taste or do you experience any discomfort after eating them? 

Vegetables have multiple health benefits. They provide fibre in the diet which is useful for digestion and bowel movements. Thus, they prevent dyspeptic symptoms like burning chest and or upper abdomen pain, nausea and or vomiting. Enhanced, regular bowel movements prevent constipation. Good digestion stimulates appetite and also ensures better assimilation of nutrients from the food consumed. Being low in calories, vegetables keep harmful blood lipid levels low, increase healthy lipid levels, and prevent obesity and its resultant complications like hypertension, heart problems, diabetes and arthritis of weight-bearing joints. Green leafy vegetables are rich in anti-oxidants which prevent breakdown of cells and helps in rejuvenating them and prevent inflammation. This prevents heart diseases and cancers.  Iron present maintains haemoglobin of blood, which supplies oxygen in the body, right up to level of cells.  They are also rich source of vitamin C which enhances immunity of the body, thus helping in preventing infectious diseases. The vitamin A present in vegetables helps in strengthening vision. High potassium content of vegetables helps in maintaining electrolyte balance of body and preventing hypertension.

One of the very few disadvantages of vegetables is that they may be contaminated by night soil, thus carrying risk of diarrheal diseases and typhoid.  Some residue of pesticides sprayed may remain on vegetables, thus causing problems like heartburn, nausea, vomiting and or breathing problems. But this can be prevented easily by thoroughly washing the vegetables before using them. Some vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower may cause flatulence if used in excess. Rarely, one may have allergy to some particular vegetable. Seldom, one may have been advised to restrict spinach and tomatoes due to high uric acid levels in blood. But apart from this, vegetables are very safe and healthy as a food item.

Due to fast urban life, there is a trend of skipping normal food including vegetables and taking nutritional supplements. This is not healthy. Supplements are useful only if there is a known deficiency of some nutrients like iron. But they do not provide the fibre present in vegetables, which is necessary for good digestion. Supplements also cannot provide micro nutrients present in vegetables, like zinc and other trace minerals.

One can see that the benefits of eating vegetables prevail over any possible harm, and supplements cannot substitute for fresh vegetables. They can be eaten raw, fried, boiled, baked, steamed, i.e. can be consumed in so many forms. Only precaution needed is to wash them thoroughly before consumption. Remember, processed and tinned vegetables are not as useful as fresh ones.

Dr. Rachna Pande is a specialist internal medicine