7 Major Side Effect of Not Getting Enough Veggies

Charlotte Miller

Updated on:

Learn more about the side effects of not including veggies in your diet and how you can introduce them in your daily life.

You might have heard your mother screaming at you to avoid vegetables. She did the right thing, no doubt. The reason you had veggies on your plate most of the days, was not how easy it was to cook but the health benefits it furnishes. Nutritions like vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and fibers are pervaded in every inch of the veggies. It seems effortless that you can harness all the benefits that veggies offer via supplements. Supplements are only beneficial when used in addition to the diet. Supplements cannot completely bridge the nutrition gap that the lack of vegetables in the diet creates. Here you will get to know how your body is affected when you don’t get enough veggies.  

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Why Getting Veggies So Important?

Vegetables fill you with most of your body’s daily nutrition requirement that keeps the body going. The experts suggest getting your half of the plate filled with vegetables. This opinion has already been pointed out on HealthCanal that the average amount of veggies required varies from 2 to 3 cups per day. Instead of loading the plate with veggies to get close to the daily target, most people don’t fall even close to this range.

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Side Effects Of Not Including Veggies In Your Diet

When you don’t give your body what it needs and deserves, it will respond back with side effects. Some of the side effects are:

Nutrition Deficiency 

When you don’t incorporate enough veggies into your diet, nutritional deficiency is likely to occur. Nutritional deficiency can lead to hair loss, bleeding gums, brittle nails, mouth ulcers, dandruff, and poor vision. The vitamins and minerals that help in maintaining good health come majorly from veggies. They are loaded with riboflavin, thiamine, zinc, iron, niacin, pyridoxine, etc. Veggies are rich in:

  • Vitamin-A for good vision and skin.
  • Vitamin-B for hair and nails.
  • Vitamin-C for immunity.
  • Vitamin-K for blood coagulation.

Digestive Problems

The indigestible carbohydrates that vegetables contain, known as fibers, are significant for digestion. They are responsible for a healthy bowel movement that helps improve intestinal health. These carbohydrates don’t add calories to your diet but assist in moving the waste to pass through the large intestines. Gastric troubles like flatulence, constipation, and problems like hemorrhoids are at bay with veggies in your diet. 

Cardiovascular Health

The benefit of including veggies in your diet is that they are cholesterol-free. The balance of sodium and potassium is essential for heart contractions. An imbalance in the NaK pump gives rise to cardiovascular diseases. Sodium is available easily in junk foods, but such food lacks potassium. Bringing vegetables to your plate can help restore the balance of the NaK pump for better heart health. 

Weak Immunity

Immunity is adversely affected due to the deficiencies of copper, iron, zinc, folic acid, selenium, and vitamins. They shield the body from the disease with the help of antioxidants and antibodies. Weak immunity makes the body prone to several diseases as the body becomes incapable of producing enough immune cells to fight ailments. The colored veggies give a boost to immunity, protecting the body from several diseases. 

Weight Gain

The high energy density foods are the only option left when you are far away from the veggies. High energy density foods like meat, fats, and cheese add calories and work in favor of weight gain. They don’t satisfy hunger and want you to crave more which leads to overeating. Fruits and veggies are low energy density foods with few calories. The nutrients and fiber content are enough to calm down hunger thus, preventing you from overeating.

Cancer Risk

A diet rich in veggies is the best food to keep the risk of cancer away. The free radicals in the body make humans exposed to the risk of cancer. Vitamins E and vitamin C are rich in antioxidants that help shield the healthy cells from free radicals. A fat-rich diet passes on the risk of cancer so, replacing it with the VIBGYOR-rich vegetables will protect you from fatal diseases like cancer. 

Diabetes

Obesity is linked with high cholesterol levels and diabetes. It is another big reason for diabetes which is evident due to the consumption of high-density foods. Being overweight increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Eating veggies and fruits lower down the risk of diabetes as it helps in proper glucose regulation.

The Bottom Line

A convenient way to get fruits and veggies is to include them in small amounts in every food you eat. Add them in soup, prepare salads, smoothies, juices, and add sweeteners to elevate the taste. Divide them into three meals, including them in breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You can even try experimenting with different veggies every day to find out the taste that you like. There are a whole different bunch of vegetables around you to get started.