Easy Peasy: Health Effects of Supplementation With Vegetables

Health Effects of Supplementation With Vegetables

The proposed study aims to test the effects of supplementing healthy individuals (with low baseline vegetable consumption) with 5 servings of vegetables (80-120g per serving) per day for 4 weeks on blood lipids and other cardiometabolic outcomes. Previous studies indicate the potential to see significant effects in this population and within this amount of time. Importantly, the investigators will also be including a weekly cooking demonstration as part of the intervention, which provides an essential hands-on participatory component and allows participants to connect with one another in a group setting, which aids in acceptability and adherence to dietary interventions. The investigators hypothesize that 4 weeks of daily supplementation with 4-5 servings of vegetables will significantly improve LDL-C and other cardiometabolic outcomes in healthy adults.

Inclusion criteria:

• 18-65 years of age
• Consuming a typical American diet (i.e. not engaged in a structured diet)
• Willing and able to eat vegetables provided (i.e. not allergic or adverse to vegetables provided).

Exclusion criteria:

• Pregnant or lactating
• Participants who currently eat 5+ servings/cups of vegetables per day (excluding tomato paste/sauce, and fried potatoes 'French fries')
• Any condition that would interfere with the participant's data, at the study team's discretion.