One of the best vegetables available, especially in the UK is the leek. It's healthy, mild-tasting, and quite versatile. You can steam it, roast it, broil it (the best way), mash it, and saute it. The list of leek vegetable benefits is huge - it can be used to help control blood pressure and cholesterol, helps to prevent heart disease, may help prevent cancer, aids digestion is anti-oxidant, and contains a lot of vitamin A. So, what are the leek vegetable benefits?
Leeks are rich in vitamins A, B, C, and E. Vitamin A has many health benefits. However, if you're not a big fan of tomatoes, then you probably wouldn't eat many leeks, as it's a heavy, bitter-tasting vegetable. However, leeks are wonderful when added to soups or stews, especially garlic. Also, it's easy to forget to add leeks when cooking a big family meal - leeks make great additions to stews or soups, and they're great for adding fresh leaves to salads, or as a topping for baked potatoes.
As mentioned, leeks are great for controlling cholesterol. They are also good for your digestive system. Because they are rich in vitamin A, they are an excellent source of antioxidants. Antioxidants help to fight free radicals in your body that can cause damage to your cells and even lead to cancer.
As a side benefit, leeks are excellent at helping you lose weight. They are very high in fiber and protein, so they are ideal to aid digestion and will slow down your metabolism. Also, they contain no fat, so you can really cut back on fatty foods when you cook with leeks. The fact that leeks are also very sweet makes them excellent for adding to salads, and many people find that eating salad with leeks is a satisfying part of their daily nutrition routine. Plus, eating vegetables that have a leek in them gives you plenty of natural antioxidants to help guard against degenerative diseases, like cancer.
The leaves of the leek can be used whole, chopped up, mixed in with stews, soups, or broths, or stewed into stews or baked into vegetables. You can chew the leaves as well - the effect is that of a leafy green tea with lots of great nutrients. There is even some research that indicates that leeks are great for increasing your resistance to diseases and helping to keep your heart healthy. They contain high amounts of Vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and folic acid.
However, there are some disadvantages to eating a leek vegetable. Because it contains so many beneficial nutrients, leeks are loaded with phytochemicals. And while most people think that phytochemicals are good for us, it has been found that too many phytochemicals can cause health problems, including cancer. So, if you want to reap the benefits of the wonderful health properties of leek, don't overdo it by eating the whole thing - or at least not any more than you would enjoy a moderate portion of. Many people do report that after they begin to eat more leek, they start to feel better.
The best way to eat a healthy portion of the leek is to chop it up finely for a few servings, add it to other foods in small quantities, and enjoy it as a part of their diet. A great side dish with leeks is leek soup. For a delicious and nutritious soup, use reduced-fat sour cream and mix in a couple of cups of chopped leeks along with some carrots, celery, potatoes, and other veggies.
Whether you choose to add leek vegetables to your diet on a regular basis or to enjoy a tasty cup of soup every now and then, you're sure to find a great number of tasty recipes for it. Because of its versatility as both a vegetable and a flavoring source, leek is something you are likely to come across when shopping for new foods from both the grocery and health food sections. As long as you use common sense and avoid excessive intake, you're sure to be happy with the health benefits of this great leafy green. All in all, the leek is a great addition to your diet and one that will certainly make you look better!
