Long gone are the days of ketogenic enthusiasts only eating bacon, cheese, beef, chicken, fish, and fat-centric meals. Nowadays, people can incorporate low-carb vegetables and fruit into their keto diet and remain in ketosis. The goal is to prioritize keeping your body in a state of ketosis, during which it uses fat as the primary fuel source, not carbs. In order to reach this state, you have to limit your daily carb intake to 20 to 50 grams (g) per day. 

Due to this low-carb allotment, you have to be very picky about which fruits and vegetables you consume. There are a number of vegetables that contain a lot of carbs, but that isn’t the case for all of them. Many vegetables are keto-friendly and contain beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that the body needs to thrive. 

Before you embark on the keto diet, make sure to consult your doctor or a registered dietitian if you have underlying healthy issues. You want to make sure that the diet is right for your body. Once you decide to go keto, you can add some or all of the following vegetables to your diet. 

Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a popular vegetable to enjoy on the keto diet because it is low in carbs and high in vitamins and phytochemicals. Enjoy cauliflower rice or add chopped cauliflower to salads or vegetable medleys. One cup of cauliflower contains a total of 5.3 g of total carbs, 3.2 g of net carbs, 0.3 g of fat, and 2.1 g of protein. It also comes with 320 milligrams (mg) of potassium, making it a great veggie for heart health. 

Bell Peppers

You can choose red, orange or yellow bell peppers, to add much-needed vitamin C (191 mg per cup) to your keto diet. They also satisfy a great crunch without the added carbs of most packaged snack foods, such as potato chips, pretzels, and cookies. You can use slices of bell pepper to scoop up high-fat guacamole or pesto. One cup of red bell pepper contains 9 g of total carbs, 5.6 g of net carbs, 0.5 g of fat, and 1.5 g of protein. 

Arugula

Arugula is a peppery green that will not push you over your daily carb count. You can use it on its own or mix it with other salad greens, such as kale, or pair it with eggs. In one cup of raw arugula, there are 0.7 g of total carbs, 0.4 g of net carbs, 0.1 g of fat, and 0.5 g of protein. Research shows that regular consumption of cruciferous vegetables, such as arugula, can reduce the rate of colorectal and lung cancers.

Mushrooms

Research shows that 30% of the carbs in mushrooms come from fiber. Mushrooms are also one of the only natural food sources of vitamin D, with maitake and shiitake varieties being the greatest sources. One cup of mushrooms contains 2.3 g of total carbs, 1.6 g of net carbs, 0.7 g of fiber, 0.2 g of fat, and 2.2 g of protein. That same cup also provides 223 mg of potassium. 

Zucchini

If you are a keto enthusiast, then you probably know how great zucchini noodles are as a pasta substitute. The key is to not cook them too much, as that helps them retain a little crunch. Zucchini is very versatile, so you can roast it, grill it, fry it, eat it raw, or steam it. One cup of zucchini contains 3.9 g of total carbs, 2.7 g of net carbs, 0.4 g of fat, and 1.5 g of protein. That same serving offers 22 mg of vitamin C and other antioxidant compounds. 

Broccoli

Broccoli can be used interchangeably with cauliflower, as it is essentially the green version. It is easy to steam, but you can also add it to stir-fry dishes, grill it, bake it, or grill it. One cup of broccoli provides a substantial amount of vitamin C (81.2 g), which satisfies 90% of the recommended daily intake (RDI). It also happens to be a great source of vitamin K and folate. One cup of broccoli contains 6 g of total carbs, 3.6 g of net carbs, 0.3 g of fat, and 2.5 g of protein. 

Green Beans

Green beans make for a tasty and nutritious side for many dishes. You can also incorporate them into stir-fry dishes or add them to cauliflower fried rice. Similar to broccoli, green beans are naturally rich in vitamin C and vitamin K. One cup offers 7 g of total carbs, 4.3 of net carbs, 0.2 g of fat, and 1.8g of protein. Try roasting them with some nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese to give a salty, nutty flavor without extra carbs.

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According to research studies and surveys, the leading cause of vision loss in older adults is age-related macular degeneration, or AMD. In fact, a 2022 report found that an estimated 20 million people in the United States over the age of 40 had AMD. It is very common for eyesight to get worse with age, be it from AMD, cataracts, or other ocular diseases. Fortunately, there are exercises you can do and foods you can eat that help support eye health. 

What Is AMD?

AMD is an eye disease that can blur central vision. This occurs when aging causes damage to the macula, a part of the eye that controls straight-ahead vision. The macula is a part of the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. AMD is a very common condition, and the leading cause of vision loss in older adults. Losing central vision makes it difficult to see faces, read, drive, or do close-up tasks. 

The condition can come on slowly in some people and faster in others. Scientists believe that one of the primary causes of AMD is exposure to oxidative stress (cell damage) and inflammatory reactions. Because of this, the theory is that including more nutrients that support vision in your diet can be beneficial in preventing AMD. Some of those nutrients include carotenoids that fight against reactive oxygen species (ROS). 

How Do Carotenoids Support Vision?

Carotenoids are the red, orange, and yellow pigments produced by plants. Astaxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, and xanthophylls are specific carotenoids that demonstrate impressive antioxidant activity. Some studies have found these carotenoids to protect the eyes from oxidative damage. 

Both lutein and zeaxanthin are found in concentrations 1,000 times higher in the eye than other tissues in the body. Reportedly, these are beneficial in reducing the risk of developing AMD. One study found that participants with the highest intake of lutein and zeaxanthin were 65% less likely to develop neovascular AMD compared to people with the lowest intake. Another study from 2022 found that these two carotenoids were able to protect the retina and lens from age-related changes.

Although astaxanthin is not as concentrated in the eye, it does have antioxidant properties that are ten times greater than lutein and zeaxanthin. Astaxanthin has demonstrated an ability to address choroidal neovascularization (CNV), which is a hallmark feature in AMD. This feature causes oxidative stress and inflammation and blood vessels grow in the eye and leak as a result. That can lead to vision loss. 

How To Get More Carotenoids In Your Diet

The body cannot make carotenoids on its own, so it is your responsibility to consume them via foods or dietary supplements. In order to support eye health and vision longevity, experts encourage you to consume at least 10 milligrams (mg) of lutein, two mg of zeaxanthin, and six mg of astaxanthin per day.

In which foods can you find these carotenoids? Well, lutein and zeaxanthin are readily available in leafy greens (kale, spinach, and collards), avocado, orange bell peppers, green peas, and eggs. Astaxanthin primarily exists in marine-derived foods, such as shrimp, salmon, lobster, and algae. All three of these carotenoids, however, are available in various eye supplements, should you not want to worry about consuming specific foods every day. 

At the end of the day, your eyesight will get worse with age, but it doesn’t have to be inevitable. Try to increase your intake of the carotenoids we detailed in this article to help support eye health and protect them from AMD and other causes of age-related vision loss.

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This isn’t your ordinary vegetable soup because this soup is made with roasted vegetables, which offer deeper, richer flavors and a subtle smokiness. Once you roast your vegetables, blend them together to make a creamy, addictive soup. Although there are many adjectives that can accurately describe this soup, it is simply delicious. Blending all of the ingredients together helps create a rich, creamy consistency. And the great thing about this soup is that is is great for all culinary skill levels. It is very beginner-friendly!

Why should you roast vegetables instead of steaming or sautéing them? While steaming is a great way to cook vegetables, you miss out on the caramelized flavor and delightful smokiness that comes from roasting them. But not all vegetables roast equally, as some take longer to cook than others. For example, it takes longer to roast tomatoes and bell peppers than it does to roast beets and parsnips. Because this recipe contains bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes, make sure to cut them appropriately to ensure even roasting. It is more important to cut the sweet potatoes and carrots thinly and the rest of the ingredients can be roughly the same size.

This recipe includes various vegetables, but you can make this soup with a few adaptations. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand and incorporate different spices. Do you like a little spice? Throw some cayenne or chili powder into the mix. Consider adding beans for more protein. Opt out of the oat milk if you want a soup made strictly of vegetables. Don’t be afraid to put your own creative spin on this!

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When we present you with a creative recipe, we try to keep it as simple as possible. The ingredient list may be long or short, but the preparation is meant to be easy. That is especially true for raw vegan recipes. A recipe should not scare you away! It should invite you to make it and inspire you to be more creative in the kitchen. That’s exactly what we though when we came up with this recipe.

All you really have to do for this recipe is soak the sunflower seeds and sun-dried tomatoes for a few hours. Blend them with the other ingredients to create the taco “meat,” and then roll up the nori wraps. Speaking of nori, make sure that you get the sheets that have not been roasted. You can usually find them at a number of grocery stores, especially health food stores. And another quick note about using the nori sheets: make sure to wet your finger and dab one end with it before you roll them up. That will help seal the roll.

These rolls differ from other raw vegan sushi rolls we’ve posted in the past. These have a raw vegan taco “meat” in the center. Roll that smoky, delicious, nutty concoction up with lettuce, bell peppers, avocado, and cilantro and you have a raw nori taquito. If you really want to go the extra mile, feel free to make your own pico de gallo or guacamole to put inside the rolls. That really just depends on the time you are willing to dedicate to this recipe. Whether you make those dips or not, these nori taquitos will have your tasted buds jumping for joy.

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What is gazpacho? Well, gazpacho is a chilled soup that originated in Andalucía, Spain, and traditional recipes call for tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, and more. You enjoy the soup cold, so there is no cooking involved, making it a great summer dish or light beginning to a multi-course meal. Although this avocado gazpacho is not entirely authentic, it does exhibit incredible depth of flavor and it’s almost like liquid guacamole.

This recipe is not only raw vegan, but it is also low-carb, paleo-friendly, keto-friendly, and replete with healthy fats. Slurp it out of a spoon or pour it into a cup so that you can drink it. We are not responsible if this refreshingly cold soup with powerful flavors kicks you into a pleasure-induced food coma. The great thing about this recipe is that you can tweak it until it is just right for your palate. Adjust the amount of onion, lime juice, chile, sea salt, and pepper to taste and then enjoy immediately.

This avocado gazpacho serves about four people, but you can divide it into much smaller portions as a party appetizer. Consider making a big batch and pouring it into shot glasses for a healthy swig of deliciousness. If you make it for a large gathering, make sure to do it right and top each shot glass with some fresh ingredients. Diced cucumbers, diced green onion, and diced avocado take the presentation to another level. Plus, you get more texture to contrast the creamy cold soup.

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Looking for a vegan meat substitute that isn’t manufactured in a lab? Forget the fake meat and starting cooking with portobello mushrooms! You can grill the entire caps and sandwich them between two slices of bread to make hearty sandwiches or burgers. Trying to steer clear of bread? Slice up portobello caps and sauté them with other veggies in a stir-fry, or make these vegan fajitas.

Like other mushrooms, portobellos exhibit an earthy flavor. You can counteract a bit of that earthiness by scraping out the undersides of the caps. Rinse them out and lightly scrape them with your fingers (it can be a good idea to wear disposable gloves for this) prior to slicing up the caps. If you really want that mushroom flavor to vanish, you have to season them properly and thoroughly. In the case of this recipe, you create your own taco seasoning by using a series of spices. The reason to avoid store bought taco seasoning is because it contains excess sodium, added flavors, and preservatives.

This fajita dish is very simple to make because all you have to do is thinly slice the bell peppers, red onion, and portobellos, season them, and bake them for 25 minutes. Make sure that you remove the pan halfway through the cooking process so that you can mix them up for even cooking. While the veggies are cooking, you can prepare the pico de gallo, which is very easy to make. Once the veggies are out of the oven, toast your corn tortillas and assemble your fajitas. Please enjoy!

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What is lycopene and why should you add more of it to your diet? Lycopene is a plant pigment that gives foods like tomatoes and watermelons their signature colors. Exhibiting antioxidant properties, lycopene has been linked to a long list of health benefits. Researchers note that lycopene may offer protection against sunburns, free radical damage, and even certain types of cancers.

Belonging to the carotenoid family, which is a group of compounds related to vitamin A, lycopene may help reduce systolic pressure. That is the top number on your blood pressure reading and it indicates how much pressure is exerted against the arterial walls when the heart beats. Decreasing that number is very beneficial for people with high blood pressure. Additionally, lycopene may improve LDL cholesterol and blood flow.

The benefits don’t just end there! Lycopene and beta-carotene are primary carotenoids founding skin and plasma. That’s why you often see those antioxidants in skin care products. Lycopene may improve the body’s ability to protect itself from the sun. Loading up on tomatoes doesn’t make you immune to sunburn; rather, it simply offers extra protection to your skin. Lycopene also exhibits anti-inflammatory properties that work to reduce oxidative stress. Finally, lycopene offers neuroprotective properties and may even help balance levels of cytokines, proteins that alert the immune system. Some great sources of lycopene include:

• Guava: 5,204 micrograms (mcg) per 100 grams (g)
• Tomato: 3,041 mcg per 100 g
• Grapefruit: 1,219 mcg per 100 g
• Papaya: 1,828 mcg per 100 g
• Watermelon: 4,532 mcg per 100 g
• Red bell pepper: 484 mcg per 100 g
• Persimmon: 159 mcg per 100 g
• Red cabbage: 20 mcg per 100 g
• Asparagus: 30 mcg per 100 g
• Mango: 3 mcg per 100 g

Lycopene And Your Sleep

Within recent years, researchers have focused their attention on the link between diet and sleep quantity/quality. Some studies looked at the link between sleep duration and higher intake of lycopene-rich foods. In these studies, sleep parameters were tracked using self-reports, and the diet was assessed by food diaries that participants kept. Based on the information, researchers found an association between sleep duration and lycopene levels. Based on that information, though, researchers need to conduct more studies on lycopene in the diet and sleep. 

Anti-Inflammatory Properties

Lycopene exhibits anti-inflammatory effects that result from its lipophilic nature. That means that lycopene has a close association with cell membranes, enabling them to regulate inflammatory responses and signals. In fact, lycopene may prevent the production of different cytokines, including IL1, IL6, IL8, and TNF-α. It may also inhibit nuclear factor kappa B, a signaling pathway that causes an inflammatory response. Lycopene experts say that the anti-inflammatory nature may be a potent agent for cancer treatment, especially in regards to the inhibition of metastasis and tumor progression. 

Antihypertensive Effects

In one study on overweight and obese people, a higher presence of lycopene was associated with a lower risk of hypertension. A different study noted that lycopene may exhibit antihypertensive effects in rats without causing hypotension. Another study with 54 patients with hypertension found that blood pressure decreased after six weeks of tomato extract supplementation. Another study found that lycopene supplementation of more than 12 mg per day in hypertensive patients significantly reduced diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number on a blood pressure reading).

Conclusion

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that exists in many easily accessible foods. Not only does it offer protection to your skin, but it may also improve heart health and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. Although you can take a lycopene supplement, it may be most effective when consumed from lycopene-rich foods like tomatoes, grapefruits, red bell peppers, watermelon, and other red or pink fruits.

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Most people cut off parts of vegetables and fruits and discard them. Everything from carrot peels to squash ends can end up as food waste. Ac cording to Zero Waste Memoirs, as much as 40% of food grown and sold in the United States ends up as waste. People don’t utilize every inch of their produce items, but you can help change that statistic by putting your scraps to good use. Trust us when we say that it’s well worth the effort. 

Some methods are more obvious, including composting vegetable scraps or recycling them in the right trash can. It may surprise you to learn that you can make an all-natural food dye or aromatic, flavorful vegetable stock with food scraps. With a little extra effort and culinary creativity, you can make sure that things don’t go to waste. Read on to learn how you can reduce food waste by reusing vegetable scraps. 

Boil Them Into A Broth

It’s always a good idea to have broth in your kitchen because you can use it in so many dishes. From soups and stews to risotto and casseroles, there are so many ways to use broth. Rather than purchasing sodium-rich broths from the store, make your own using vegetable scraps. It is very easy to do and you can customize the flavor based on the scraps you add to the pot. Plus, you get to control the salt content, which is great if you have high blood pressure. Place the scraps in a pot and cover them with water. Garlic, bay leaf, and other aromatics can add flavor, so don’t be afraid to add them. Cook the broth for 10 minutes or so and then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Store the broth in glass jars in the fridge or freezer, depending how soon you are going to use it. 

Use Them To Grow New Vegetables

If you have enough of a vegetable’s leftover, like the base of a bunch of celery, you can use it to start the growth of new plants. You can even sprout from a large avocado pit! It seems difficult, but it is quite easy and very rewarding. To grow vegetables from scraps, you need to trim off the end of the vegetable. That allows the vegetable to take up fresh water and start to regenerate roots. Once you trim the vegetable, place it in fresh water and set it somewhere that receives natural light. In time, you should see growth, but make sure that the base of the vegetable end is touching water, and change the water when it gets cloudy.

Compost Them

Composting is a great way to put your food scraps to good use. This process uses the scraps and other organic materials to make a natural fertilizer that you can use to enrich soil. In doing so, you reduce the amount of food waste that ends up in landfills. Plus, composting also decreases the amount of methane emitted into the atmosphere. There are many ways to compost, but the easiest way is to collect your scraps in a small bucket or container. You then dig a shallow hole in the ground, add the scraps from the bucket into the hole, chop them up with a shovel, and cover with dirt. Ideally, you bury the food scraps next to plants you’re growing to encourage healthier growth. You can compost produce, grains, coffee grounds, and eggshells, but don’t compost meat, dairy, liquids, food wrappers or plastic. 

Use Them To Make A Natural Dye

Get creative and colorful with your vegetable scraps by transforming them into a natural dye. Instead of using the dye for fabric, though, use it for coloring other foods to create a cheery meal. For example, use the dye to color everything from homemade pasta to hard-boiled eggs. Use beets and bell peppers to make red and orange dye, depending on their color. You can use yellow bell peppers or turmeric to create a yellow dye. Use spinach for green and red cabbage to make purple dye. There are many recipes for this online, but the simplest way is to blend the food scraps with water in a blender and then strain the liquid. Just make sure to wash the blender between dyes to get the richest colors. 

Pickle Watermelon Rinds

This is more specific, but watermelon rinds are some of the most wasted parts of any fruit. This is especially saddening because they contain a lot of valuable nutrients. Save watermelon rinds and pickle them to create a crunchy, satisfying snack. Just simmer the rinds in a mixture of vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until they soften. Then you can store them in an airtight jar or container in the fridge until you want to enjoy them. Get creative with other spices or seasonings, such as ginger, peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon, to liven up the pickled rinds.

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The great thing about gazpacho is that it packs a flavorful punch and it is very easy to make. It’s a great summer appetizer or meal accompaniment, especially next to a large salad or zucchini noodle entree. You can also enjoy gazpacho even if you don’t follow a raw vegan diet. It’s a light entry point to a meal, providing you with lots of nutrients and flavors without filling you up.

Gazpacho is a cold soup or drink made from raw vegetables that you blend together. It originated in the souther regions of the Iberian peninsula, and it is a very common dish to eat in Spain and Portugal. People primarily enjoy this dish during the summer because it is refreshing and cool. Most gazpacho recipes include tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, garlic, olive oil, water, and sea salt. This recipe has many of those ingredients, save for the bell peppers. It does bring more fresh herbs to the party, enhancing the depth of flavor.

This gazpacho calls for fresh cilantro, mint, and a little basil for topping. It also includes one jalapeño, which gives this raw soup a little fiery kick. If you are opposed to spicier flavors, use less of the jalapeño, or choose a more mild pepper like poblano. The acidity and sweetness of the tomatoes, however, do a good job to mellow the intensity of the jalapeño, so don’t worry too much!

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When the weather warms up, you want to eat refreshing dishes that cool you off. Gazpacho is a classic, savory summer soup that originated in Spain. Served in a chilled dish, this soup is classically made with raw vegetables, especially tomatoes, bell peppers, and celery. For this recipe, we incorporate sweet mangos to balance the intensity from the raw onion, black pepper, citrusy orange, and herbaceous basil.

Mangos are not intensely sweet, but they do add a pleasant sweetness to a chilled soup. It is a tropical, refreshing fruit that you can easily enjoy fresh on a hot day, but you can easily incorporate them into savory dishes like this recipe. For example, there are many Thai soups or stew that incorporate mango because the sweetness balances the spicy chilies. This recipe, however, does not contain intense Thai spices, but you can add thinly sliced raw chilies as a topping, provided you want to light a fire on your taste buds!

This is a great make-ahead recipe, as you should chill it for a couple hours in the fridge prior to serving. If you want to store it in the fridge overnight and serve it the next day, that is also a possibility. Make sure that the storage container is airtight, so as to keep it as fresh as possible. When you decide to serve it, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top of the soup. You can also top the soup with raw pumpkin seeds, chopped cilantro, and diced cucumbers for more texture.

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