The Surprising Difference in How Black Men and Women Benefit From Vegetables

Turns out, eating your vegetables isn’t one-size-fits-all when it comes to your health.

New research suggests the veggies that best protect your heart could depend on your sex.

Researchers analyzed dietary data from more than 600 young adults in Australia and found clear differences between men and women.

Young men who ate more legumes — such as beans, lentils and peas — were significantly less likely to show early warning signs of heart disease, including high blood pressure, increased waist circumference, unhealthy cholesterol and elevated blood sugar.

Young women, meanwhile, saw the biggest benefit from cruciferous vegetables — like broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage — which were linked to fewer early warning signs of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Just one serving a day of the right vegetables was linked to a much lower health risk — even in people in their early 20s.

So why the split by sex?

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“Our findings suggest that men and women may process some nutrients and plant compounds from vegetables differently,” said Therese O’Sullivan of the Edith Cowan University Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute in Australia.

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Why Vegetables Matter for Heart Health

Many vegetables contain vitamins and minerals known to boost heart health.

These include:

• Potassium. Helps offset sodium intake and keep blood pressure in check.
• Magnesium. Protects cells from damage.
• Vitamin K. May help reduce the hardening of the arteries.
• Vitamin C. Protects cells throughout the body from damage.

“Many vegetables also contain a lot of water and fiber, which slow digestion and contribute to feelings of fullness,” said Tara M. Schmidt, M.Ed., RDN, LD, lead registered dietitian with The Mayo Clinic Diet.

Vegetables can help you feel full and are usually low in calories. This may help with weight loss, which can lower inflammation and support heart health.

“The volume-to-calorie ratio is also beneficial for those trying to lose weight. You can eat a large serving of vegetables for pretty minimal calories,” Schmidt added.

Given that Black Americans have higher rates of heart risks like high blood pressure and heart disease. Using these targeted vegetable strategies could help reduce health gaps and improve long-term wellness for Black men and women.

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Which Vegetables Are Best for Heart Health?

Many experts recommend dark leafy greens and brightly colored vegetables for heart health. But the study suggests that just focusing on the ‘best’ vegetables may not be the most effective way to support your heart.

“By fixating on just a few vegetables, you may end up omitting many other good options,” Schmidt says.

The Mayo Clinic points out that there are no ‘worst’ or ‘bad’ vegetables. The idea that ‘white foods aren’t healthy’ is a myth. Mushrooms, onions, and cauliflower all have heart-healthy compounds, according to Schmidt.

If you are not sure where to start, Schmidt has some tips for building a heart-healthy diet:

• Eat more of what you love. Consuming the recommended 4 1/2 cups of daily produce is much easier if you enjoy the foods on your plate.
• Whenever possible, choose whole produce over vegetable juice. Whole produce contains more fiber and consuming whole produce leads to greater feelings of fullness.
• Continually experiment with new veggies. Try all the colors — red, yellow, purple, orange, white, brown and green.
• Prepare veggies using whatever method helps you eat more of them: raw, steamed, roasted, air-fried. If the method increases your consumption of vegetables, do it. Even canned is better than none at all.

More research is needed, but scientists say these vegetables are affordable and easy to include in daily meals.

You might be surprised to learn that legumes are considered vegetables by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). So if you like beans, now is a great time to eat more of them.

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Compounds in legumes may have a stronger effect on testosterone, while compounds in cruciferous vegetables may have a greater effect on female hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

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Here are more of the top veggies recommended by the USDA:

The USDA’s 5 Vegetable Groups

If you are still unsure where to start, Schmidt suggests dividing vegetables into two groups:

• Nonstarchy veggies, which include all of the low-calorie, water-loaded veggies like cucumbers and onions.
• Starchy veggies, which have slightly more calories than other types of vegetables due to their carbohydrate content. These include most root vegetables as well as beans, lentils and peas. Starchy vegetables aren’t bad or unhealthy. They merely have a different nutrient composition than the nonstarchy veggies.

How to Incorporate More Veggies Into Your Diet

If you are ready to start a heart-healthy diet with more fruits and vegetables, try adding some creativity and experimentation. Here are Schmidt’s tips:

• Keep washed and cut vegetables in your refrigerator for quick snacks. Dip baby carrots, cherry tomatoes or presliced bell peppers into salad dressing, hummus or guacamole.
• Choose recipes with vegetables as the main ingredients, such as a stir-fry, a veggie-loaded caprese or California sandwich, a vegetable and grain dish, a veggie soup, or a salad.
• Sneak veggies into your usual standbys. Blend a handful of greens into smoothies. Add shredded zucchini, beets, carrots or parsnips to muffins, pancakes, soups, sauces, burgers and casseroles. Dump sliced peppers, onions and spinach into omelets. Use pureed winter squash, carrots and sweet potatoes to displace some of the cheese in dishes like macaroni and cheese, lasagna, or enchiladas.
• Use mushrooms in any recipe that features ground meat. Add them to burgers, meatballs and meatloaf.

The study appears in the August issue of the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.

In the end, you do not need to completely change your diet to eat for heart health. Whether you add a side of lentils or roast some broccoli, just one extra serving of your favorite vegetable each day is an easy and affordable way to support your long-term health. This shows that a little personalization can make a big difference in nutrition.