Living in a hot and humid country, cool weather vegetables are scarce and expensive. I live in Cagayan Valley, Philippines but when I use some fitness apps and even if I use Google, most of the nutrition facts and “healthy diet” only benefits those who live in cooler areas.
To give insights on our diet, here are some of our following vegetables: Kalunay (Amaranth), Malunggay (moringa), Alugbati (malabar spinach), Parya (bitter gourd), Balatong (mung beans), Alukon (birch tree flower), banana flower, bagbagkong (I don’t know what’s it called), Samsamping (edible young pods of blue ternate), pansit-pansitan (Peperomia pellucida) and many more. These vegetables are common (though some are seasonal) in our area, but the nutrition facts varies from site to site.
This makes me wonder if there are local substitutes for cooler weather plants that grows here in the tropics, what are the ways for me to maximize my nutrient from these vegetables, and are there any reliable links to show me proven nutrition facts in them?
So I think it depends on what your goals are? Since you mention a fitness app I imagine you’re either trying to build muscle or lose weight? Mornings has a ton of vitamins and minerals. Amaranth has a bunch of fiber and protein. My fitness pal is an app you can look at. But again before anyone can answer the post need to know goals.
Hi! I’m not sure what exactly you’re asking but I think this might help https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/food-drinks/benefits-recipes-guide-filipino-vegetables/This tells you the benefits but not calories. ALL vegetables are beneficial in a healthy diet as long as you dont have known allergies to something. Hope this helps.
Here’s an example a healthy food pattern. It doesn’t specify particular foods.
The are other diet patterns in the link below.
-
##Healthy US-Style Dietary Pattern at the 2,000-Calorie Level
Food Group | Amount | Daily or Weekly:————|:—:|:—:Vegetables|2 1⁄2 cups/day | per day
Red and Orange Vegetables | 5 1/2 (cups/wk)| per week
Dark-Green Vegetables | 1 1/2 (cups/wk)| per week
Whole Grains| ≥ 3 (ounces/day) | per day
| Refined Grains | < 3 (ounces/day) | per day |
| Dairy | 3 (cups/day) | per day |
| Protein Foods | 5 1/2 (ounces/day) | per day |
##USDA Dietary Guidelines pg 20