When thinking about eating your vegetables, it helps to know which ones give you the most
bang for your buck.
While you might still have recurring nightmares about being forced to eat broccoli as a kid,
these are the veggies you may want to skip as an adult.
Love 'em or hate 'em, onions pop up in everything from burgers to bahn mi.
But if your stomach's on the sensitive side, you'll want to proceed with caution.
"Oh, it's not good at all."
Onions contain fructan, a carbohydrate well-known for causing bloating and discomfort.
On a nutritional level, you aren't losing too much by slicing onions out of your diet.
They're primarily made of water, fiber, and carbs, so you can get your nutrients by reaching
for spinach or carrots, instead.
It's hard to imagine passing on the vegetable that brought us french fries.
But, according to scientists at Harvard School of Health, potatoes are high in quickly-digested
carbs, which causes your blood sugar to spike, then crash.
Consuming one cup of spuds actually has about the same effect on your blood sugar as a can
of soda.
"You serious?"
Those same Harvard scientists also linked potatoes to weight gain and diabetes, pointing
to studies where people who ate more potatoes put on the pounds, while those who ate less
spuds, trimmed down.
They also noted that a similar study found frequent potato consumption resulted in a
higher risk of diabetes in women.
"Oh…boo."
Opt for potato alternatives, such as whole grains like brown rice and quinoa.
"But it tastes like a dirty old tree branch.
What the heck is quinoa?"
Fresh tomatoes contain a ton of nutrients, including cancer-fighting antioxidants.
But if you're eating the canned variety, they might actually be doing the exact opposite.
That's because some cans are made with a chemical known as BPA.
And that, combined with the high acidity found in tomatoes, can actually be dangerous.
"Oh my God."
While there are BPA-free canned tomatoes out there, when it comes to nutrition, fresh is
definitely best, and freshly cooked may be even better.
Maat van Uitert, author of Organic By Choice, says,
"[Cooking] increases the amount of lycopene [which lowers] the risk of cancer and heart
attacks.
When cooked, it becomes more bioavailable, allowing you to digest and absorb more of
the powerful antioxidants."
While they are tasty and filling, eggplants aren't the healthiest vegetable.
"The only thing I like better than an eggplant burger, is a chocolate covered eggplant burger."
For starters, eggplants serve up very little protein and get a large portion of their calories
from sugar.
Healthline also reports eggplants are a part of the nightshade family, which are associated
with health issues due to their solanine content.
"Okay, so there's something about an eggplant handshake."
"Eggplant agreement."
"Yeah, they got an agreement to make eggplant parmesan."
Solanine is actually a poison, naturally produced by plants as a defense mechanism against predators.
And in large amounts, solanine could cause gastrointestinal issues.
"Corn's my favorite vegetable.
Even though it's not digestible by the human body."
When it comes to quintessential American foods, corn is right up there with apple pie and
hamburgers.
But there are a number of reasons why you may want to limit your corn intake, particularly
if you want to lose weight.
A Harvard study discovered that subjects who ate more corn tended to pack on pounds.
"Corn."
"Yeah."
"Corn, corn, corn."
"Alright let's do it!"
"Let's do it!"
"Abort!
Abort!"
The weight gain has to do with corn's high glycemic index, which causes blood sugar to
skyrocket.
And that spike in blood sugar can lead to cravings for unhealthy food.
Beans are already under scrutiny from certain nutritionists for containing digestive problem-inducing
carbs called FODMAPS.
But when it comes to eating certain beans raw, the problem may be more serious.
If you've found yourself packing a sack of raw beans for a camping trip or stocking up
on rations for the zombie apocalypse, it's just not that simple.
"Cool beans."
Broad beans, and white and red kidney beans naturally contain a toxin before they're cooked,
which can cause gastroenteritis, which may induce vomiting and nausea.
Consuming as few as four uncooked, soaked beans can produce these symptoms.
That's right, four actual beans.
But there's hope for all the dedicated bean fans out there.
To deactivate the toxin, just boil the beans for ten minutes, and dinner is served.
"Bon appetit."