Lists Of Vegetables With Their Vitamins

You need to eat a variety of vegetables in a variety of colors to get the full range of nutrients your body needs, according to Dr. Marcy Leeds, a professor of Health and Nutrition at Slippery Rock University. No one food or food group will provide you with all the nutrients your body needs. Include a rainbow of colored vegetables in your diet to get the most vitamins each day.

Green Vegetables

Green vegetables include kale, turnip greens, spinach, brussel sprouts, green beans, avocados, asparagus, green peppers, peas and zucchini. Most of the vegetables in this category contain vitamins A, E, C, K, and some B vitamins, according to Staci Nix, a registered dietitian and author of the book "Basic Nutrition and Diet Therapy." Folic acid, one of the many B vitamins, helps reduce your risk of heart disease and prevents birth defects. Dark green leafy vegetables also contain antioxidants that help boost the immune system.

Orange/Yellow Vegetables

Members of the orange or yellow vegetable family include corn, carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, butternut squash, yellow tomatoes and rutabagas, explains Julie Garden-Robinson, a Food and Nutrition Specialist at North Dakota University. Your body converts the "carotenoids" found in many of these vegetables into vitamin A. Vegetables high in carotenoids help protect the body against cancer, heart disease and infection. Many of these vegetables also provide your body with vitamin E, C and B6, advises Nix.

White Vegetables

Many white provide you with B vitamins, including B1, B3 and B6 -- also known as thiamin, niacin and folate, respectfully, according to Nix. Commonly eaten white vegetables include cauliflower, white onions, potatoes and mushrooms. The "anthoxantins" that give white vegetables their color may contain a chemical known as allicin, which could lower blood pressure and cholesterol to reduce your risk of heart disease. These chemicals may also reduce your risk of stomach cancer.

Red Vegetables

Many red vegetables, including beets, red cabbage, red peppers, radishes and tomatoes provide your body with vitamin A and vitamin B3, according to Nix. You can also find a lot of vitamin C and lycopene in vitamin C. Lycopene may help reduce your risk of developing certain cancers, particularly prostate cancer.

Purple Vegetables

Vegetables that have a purple color include eggplant, purple asparagus, purple cabbage and purple carrots. These vegetables contain a small amount of various vitamins. The most beneficial content of these vegetables are the anthocyanin flavonoids, which help protect your memory, according to the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service.