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Evidence-minded articles on the nutrition and health benefits of everyday ingredients — vegetables, fruits, seafood, spices and more.

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All ingredients | Ingredient Health Benefits

All ingredients

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Evidence

All Strong evidence2 Moderate evidence18 Early research11 Nutrition data7

38 ingredients

Vegetables — See the category page

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Kimchi

There is evidence that fermented foods help the gut microbiome. But that research did not isolate kimchi, and kimchi arrives with salt attached.

Vegetables

Early research

Korean yam

The mucilage is not mucin but a plant glycoprotein mixture. Research on gastric protection is still at an early stage.

Vegetables

Nutrition data

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Bitter melon

Bitter melon contains compounds that act somewhat like insulin. Results in human trials, however, are not consistent.

Vegetables

Strong evidence

Burdock root

Much of burdock's carbohydrate is inulin, which you cannot digest. It feeds your gut bacteria instead of you.

Vegetables

Early research

Shiitake

Ultraviolet light converts the ergosterol in shiitake into vitamin D2. Very few non-animal foods can do this.

Vegetables

Strong evidence

Beetroot

Beet nitrate converts to nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels. That is why it keeps appearing in exercise physiology studies.

Vegetables

Early research

Cabbage

There is a reason cabbage juice became a folk remedy for stomach trouble. The evidence, though, is weaker than its reputation suggests.

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Onion

Onion's antioxidant quercetin concentrates in the outer layers. Peeling two extra layers out of habit throws much of it away.

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Carrot

Carrot beta-carotene is locked inside tough cell walls. Cooking plus a little fat multiplies how much you absorb.

Vegetables

Early research

Tomato

Cooked beats raw here. Heat multiplies how much lycopene your body can actually absorb.

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Spinach

"Spinach equals iron" is only half true. The real value sits in folate, vitamin K, and the lutein that accumulates in your eyes.

Vegetables

Early research

Broccoli

Broccoli's key compound, sulforaphane, only forms when the vegetable is cut or chewed. One cooking choice changes how much survives.

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Sweet potato

The beta-carotene and fibre are a clear win, but how you cook a sweet potato can nearly double its effect on blood sugar.

Vegetables

Moderate evidence

Garlic

The evidence for garlic points to a modest drop in blood pressure and cholesterol. The trick is to crush it and wait ten minutes before it hits the heat.