All vegetables contain healthful vitamins, minerals, and fiber. However, some stand out for their exceptional health benefits.

Some individuals benefit more from certain vegetables than others, depending on their diet, overall health, and nutritional needs.

In this article, we list 15 of the most healthful vegetables, along with some tips to help people enjoy them as part of a balanced diet.

1. Broccoli

Broccoli is an incredibly healthful vegetable that belongs to the same family as cabbage, kale, and cauliflower. These are all cruciferous vegetables.

Each cup of chopped and boiled broccoli contains:
- 55 calories
- the full daily requirement for vitamin K
- twice the daily recommended amount of vitamin C

Eating plenty of cruciferous vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer, which may be because these vegetables contain sulforaphane. In animal research, sulforaphane reduced the size and number of breast cancer cells and blocked tumor growth.

2. Tomatoes

Although tomatoes are technically a fruit, most people treat them as a vegetable. Each cup of chopped raw tomatoes contains:
- 32 calories
- 427 milligrams of potassium
- 24.7 milligrams of vitamin C

Tomatoes contain lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant that may play a role in cancer prevention. Research suggests that lycopene can help prevent prostate cancer. The beta-carotene in tomatoes also has anticancer effects.

Other potent antioxidants in tomatoes, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, may protect vision. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study reports that people who have high dietary intakes of these substances have a 25 percent reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration.

Should men eat differently? As a man, staying healthy means eating mostly what's good for anyone—more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. But there are some subtle differences between healthy diets for men and healthy diets for women, even though we share 98.5% of our DNA.

In the following slides, learn some foods you can form a healthy diet around as a man. You will find out why certain foods play special health roles in a man's diet for prostate problems, staying lean, and putting on muscle. There are even some in the list that may help your bedroom performance.

1. Red Meat

If you closed your eyes and imagined a meal made for a man, there's a good chance you'd dream up an imaginary steak. Men eat a lot more protein than women on average. And for the most part, all that additional protein is healthy. If you want to watch your weight, protein may be a better choice than carbs because your body spends more calories burning protein. It also helps build and retain muscle mass. The key is to have lean red meat in small portions and not eat it daily.

But not all protein is equally healthy. The healthiest proteins are low in fat, and some cuts of red meat fit this bill, including lean cuts of beef and pork. What's more, the amino acid leucine is found in red meat. That's important because this is the amino acid responsible for building and maintaining muscle mass.

However, there's reason to exercise caution when it comes to red meat. In some men, an abnormal gene can cause the high iron content of red meat to leave deposits in your vital organs. On the other hand, women need additional iron to make up for what's lost during their periods.

2. Fish With Omega-3

Want to stop the no. 1 killer of men in the United States? Eat more fatty fish, like salmon, halibut, and sardines. These fish come loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to lower your risks of heart disease.

There are other ways to get omega-3 fats into your diet. But for men, fish is the safest bet. That's because plant-based sources, such as those found in canola and flaxseed oils, have been linked in some studies with elevated risks of prostate cancer. If you stick with fish, you need not worry. However, you should be careful not to consume too much tuna, marlin or sailfish, for example, as they can contain high levels of mercury.

3. Creamy Avocados

Men, take note: avocados were named after you. Or rather, a certain part of you. The word comes from the Aztec word for testicle, “ahuakatl.” Maybe that's why this creamy green fruit has developed a reputation as an aphrodisiac. Whether or not it deserves that reputation, avocados do have several valuable health benefits.