Vegetables
Vegetables are undoubtedly beneficial foods, rich in dietary fiber and pectins, vitamins, mineral elements, and biologically active substances, including antioxidants.
Dietary fiber (cellulose), contained in vegetables, performs several important functions in the human body, two of which are particularly significant.
- Firstly, it acts on the human digestive tract as an abrasive, aiding intestinal peristalsis and cleaning its walls from undigested food residues and toxins.
- Secondly, it serves as a nutritional substrate for the activity of the normal microflora of the large intestine, i.e., it helps prevent dysbiosis.
Pectins, which are sometimes incorrectly referred to as “soluble fiber,” are natural detoxifiers that bind and eliminate heavy metals, radionuclides, toxins, excess bile acids, and other metabolic byproducts from the body, contributing to lower cholesterol levels and normalizing weight.
Compared to fruits, vegetables contain less sugar and more fiber; in terms of pectin content, vegetables and fruits are similar.
According to nutritionists’ recommendations, the daily intake of dietary fiber in food is approximately 25 g (roughly equivalent to two medium-sized carrots), while pectin intake should be about 10 g (approximately two medium-sized apples)
