Health Benefits of Grilling Vegetables

If good health is valuable to you, ensuring that you eat enough vegetables is vital. Fresh vegetables contain high levels of vegetable nutrients. Grilled vegetables maintain these nutrients and you can do plenty with them. You can have a grilled vegetable meal or several different side dishes.

If you are planning to grill vegetables, you should pick vegetables with a low water content, such as onions, cabbage, mushrooms, bell peppers and asparagus. You can either grill the vegetables directly on the grill or wrap them in a piece of foil first. If you wrap them in foil, you won't need to add any fats or oils. If you fry them in a pan, they will absorb oils. If you boil them, you will lose vegetable nutrients in the water. Grilled vegetables really are healthier than any other kind.

Benefits of Vegetables

If you have ever wondered about fruits and vegetables in nutrition, the truth is they are incredibly good for you. Eating more means your risk for type 2 diabetes, stoke and cardiovascular disease is reduced. Another of the benefits of vegetables is that they give protection against heart disease, kidney stones, some kinds of cancers and osteoporosis. Dark green and orange vegetables are better at preventing cancers. Vegetables are also beneficial if you are trying to lose weight. They are high in fiber but low in calories. This means they fill you up without being fattening.

Vegetable Nutrients and Their Functions

There are a variety of nutrients found in vegetables. These include potassium, folate (folic acid), dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. Folate encourages the production of red blood cells. Dietary fiber assists the reduction of cholesterol levels in the blood. It also helps with good bowel function. Potassium is important to keep your blood pressure at a healthy level. Vitamin A is good for the skin and eyes. Vitamin C keeps the teeth and gums healthy, heals wounds and helps with iron absorption. Vitamin E protects Vitamin A and essential acids from cell oxidization.

Grilled Vegetable Recipe

This is a quick and easy grilled vegetable recipe, which is high in vegetable nutrients and flavor. Clean and trim a selection of vegetables that grill well. Cut each into thick slices or halves. You can choose from eggplant, button mushrooms, tomatoes, corn on the cob, summer squash, peppers and more.

Parboil some small, waxy potatoes until they are tender. Soak the corn on the cob for an hour, having removed the silks but leaving the husks on. Brush the vegetables lightly with oil, if you do not plan to use foil, so they will not stick to the grill. Alternatively, brush them with a marinade.

Prepare a medium hot grill. Place the vegetables on the grill on skewers, in a foil pouch or directly on to the grill. Denser vegetables such as potatoes and carrots take longer to cook, so add those first. Turn the vegetables as needed, brushing on more oil or marinade. When they can be easily pierced with a fork, they are ready to serve.

You can make a basic marinade by combining 1 part lemon juice with 2 parts olive oil and 1 peeled, crushed clove of garlic. You can make this a day ahead and store it in the refrigerator.

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