If you want to stay healthy, eat your vegetables. They are an essential part of a balanced diet. Vegetables contain various nutrients and vitamins. They are also rich in fibre which aid digestion as well as other body functions. Vegetables are low in calories and fat. If you are cooking a Nigerian dish, you will struggle to do without a number of key vegetables. Many of the soups we love also have local vegetables as their base. Mama was right when she said you should eat your greens - they certainly help keep you healthy. Green beans are slender, protein rich pods that are unbelievably healthy and nutritious. You can use them in jollof or fried rice either in the rice or with a salad cream. When mixed with sliced onions, red pepper and orange colored carrots, they can add to the visual allure of your meal. You could also dice them into yam and potato porridge, or grate them into Egusi or vegetable soups. They can be eaten raw or steamed, boiled, stir-fried, or baked.They are distinguished from the many other varieties of beans in that green beans are harvested and consumed with their enclosing pods, before the bean seeds inside have fully matured. When eaten, not only are green beans a nice, crunchy, low-calorie food but they also provide many key nutrients. Young, tender green beans are a good source of vitamin C, dietary fiber, folate, vitamin K and silicon (needed for healthy bones, skin, and hair). To top it off, green beans contain no cholesterol