You’ve got kale, spinach, and collard greens down, right? Well, time to add another super-veggie into your energy-boosting diet. Enter kohlrabi!
Kohlrabi is a vegetable that is part of the cabbage family and is often referred to as German Turnip. It looks similar to a turnip and comes with purple, white, or green skin but the flesh inside is white. The leaves, stem and skin are all edible and the whole thing can be eaten raw or cooked.
If you need an instant immune system boost, then try snacking on a cup of raw Kohlrabi. Of all the vitamins in kohlrabi, vitamin C is the most abundant. In fact, a cup of raw kohlrabi has almost 84 mg of vitamin C, which is more than enough to meet your daily requirements. It also has a good amount of the B vitamins, such as vitamin B6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and folate. B vitamins play a role in increasing metabolic rates and maintaining healthy skin and hair.
It has approximately 8 grams of carbohydrates and, almost 5 grams of this is from dietary fiber. This makes it a great source of energy and helps to keep you full longer whilst being beneficial for your digestion. Kohlrabi is a powerhouse of minerals too and contains magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, selenium. and particularly high levels of potassium. The best part of all is that it’s super low in calories with a cup at only 36Kcal. Shred it on your salads, sautee it with your veggies or just bite into it like an apple! It is so versatile, here are some recipes to inspire you:
Kohlrabi Asian Salad
Shaved Kohlrabi with Apple and Hazelnuts

In most cases, the fresher the vegetable, the healthier it is. Tomatoes however are the exception! Tomatoes are rich in Lycopene and your body can absorb more from cooked tomatoes than those that are fresh and uncooked.
​The cooking/processing of tomatoes makes for more Lycopene availability in the final product.  Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that protects and rejuvenates our skin. It provides antioxidant protection from environmental damage, shielding skin from premature aging and reducing skin cell damage. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and some cancers. Tomatoes are also packed with Beta-carotene, vitamin C and Vitamin E to keep skin looking young and fresh. I personnally always buy tomato paste/sauce in jars rather then cans as there is no leakage from the contianer into the food. You can also make your own tomato paste, this is an Easy Recipe to make at home!

Butternut squash and Pumpkins are great store cupboard items as they last for weeks and are a great superfood. Just one cup provides 300% of the daily value of Vitamin A, and its an excellent source of Vitamin C, and one of the few vegetable sources of Vitamin E. It's are great shaved with a potato peeler, it can also be added to stir-fries or chinked and added to a tray of roasted vegetables. Roasted butternut and sweet potato soup  is easy to make and is packed full of vitamins and minerals. It can easily be turned into a nutritious supper with the addition of a handful of leftover chicken or turkey. 
Try this easy Butternut squash and Sweet Potato soup recipe.

There's nothing wrong with a platter of crudités or a salad if you want to improve your diet, but steaming may help improve the cholesterol-lowering capabilities of some produce, including asparagus. Other veggies that get better after a short bout in the steam: beets, okra, carrots, eggplant, green beans, and cauliflower. RealAge Researchers think steaming these veggies may help them do a better job of binding bile acids, which means your liver needs to use up more LDL cholesterol in order to make bile. That translates into less circulating LDL in your bloodstream.

Parsnips may seem like an unusual vegetable to many, but they add plenty to your diet:
Their fiber content is great for digestion and their sweet taste is satisfying without being high in calories. Parsnips shine as a fiber source and are high in soluble fiber, the type that helps lower cholesterol and keep blood sugar balanced.They're a surprising source of folic acid and have ample quantities of potassium, an aid to blood pressure. Parsnips are also rich in several vitamins. They are a great source of Vitamin C with a one-cup serving providing 38% of your daily requirements. They also provide a good amount of vitamin E which, along with vitamin C, is a powerful antioxidant. Parsnips are very easy to cook and can be roasted, sauteed, pureed like mashed potato and combined with stews or soups. You can even grate them raw and add to salads.

Try this delicious recipe at home:

http://www.glowpeople.com/5/post/2013/05/roast-parsnips-with-honey-soy-and-orange.html

Many people like to grill their food, especially in Dubai where the weather allows us to enjoy outdoor cooking for a good chunk of the year. Cooking foods especially meats at high temperatures is not good for us as it encourages the formation of toxic compounds on the food, not to mention nutrient-loss.

Here are 4 easy tips to follow that will minimise these effects:

1- Grill on an area without a direct flame as the temperatures are highest directly above the flame.

2- Be sure not overcook or burn your food as this helps prevent the formation of toxic compounds.

3-Marinade with mixtures that contain antioxidant-rich ingredients such as lemons and onions, rosemary and black pepper.

4-Use an oil to coat your food and make sure its an oil that has a high smoking point such as safflower oil or Coconut oil. Olive oil is never a good idea as it has a very low smoking point and will go rancid when used for high temperature cooking.

Remember that the principles of nutrient loss from grilled or charcoaled food is very similar to the principles of all cooking. The shorter the time of exposure to heat and the lower the heat, the less the nutrient loss.

Fennel comes from the same family of plants as Parsley, Dill, Celery and Coriander. It is also a relative of Anise (Liqorice) and is very similar in aroma and appearance. 

Fennel contains many great health-promoting antioxidants and a unique phytonutrient called Anethole that acts as an anti-inflammatory. It is a good source of Vitamin C and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. 
Try this great 'Pomegranate and Fennel' salad:
http://www.glowpeople.com/5/post/2013/05/pomegranate-and-fennel-salad.html

Are you trying to cut down on your meat intake? try this simple tip:

Crimini Mushrooms, more commonly know as mini-Portobello mushrooms have a delicious meaty flavor. Blending crimini mushrooms with ground turkey or meat is a great way to cut half the fat without losing taste. The high-fiber mushroom mixture works well for any meat-based dish and we promise you won't taste the difference!

Skin is the body's largest organ. It makes sense, then, that what's good for your whole body is also good for your skin …and as far as food goes, it doesn't get much better than vegetables. 
Green vegetables are the most important of all vegetables. They are high in fiber, low in fat, rich in folic acid, vitamin C, iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium. They also contain a host of phytochemicals like lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin that contribute to a healthy immune system and can then help the performance of your body and promote hair growth and clear skin. There are many green vegetables and they include Brussels sprouts, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, peas, green beans, cucumbers, green peppers, asparagus, lima beans and celery.

You also want to look out for for red-orange-yellow vegetables that are full of beta-carotene and carotenoids. Our bodies convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, which acts as an antioxidant, preventing cell damage and premature aging. In the case of vitamin A, you also get anti-acne benefits -- vitamin A has been used in acne medications (think Retin-A) for many years.

Vitamin A helps your skin produce more fresh new cells and get rid of the old ones, reducing dryness and keeping your face looking bright and young. It's best to get this vitamin A from food and not from supplements since too much can cause health problems.