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"Let
food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." Hippocrates
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Vegetables
Leafy
Vegetables
Easily
grown, leafy vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals and fewer
calories than many other vegetables. Most can be enjoyed fresh or cooked
and come in a variety of colors, textures and flavors. Lettuces, cabbage
and spinach varieties can be harvested in spring and fall in warmer
climates, though some chards and collards are more heat tolerant and
can be harvested most of the growing season. When selecting leafy greens,
look for crisp, turgid leaves and rich color. For cooking greens, select
those with small midribs for less bitterness.
Examples:
Brussels sprouts, cabbage, chard, collards, cress, dandelions, endive,
kale, lettuce, mustard, New Zealand spinach, bok choi, parsley, radicchio,
spinach, watercress.
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Food in the News
Healthy Recipes
Essential Vitamins & Nutrients
Health Benefits of Vegetables
Health Benefits of Fruit
Food & Your Health Links
Glossary of Terms

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Cruciferous
Vegetables
Named for
their flower heads, which are all cross-shaped, cruciferous vegetables
include members of the cabbage family, such as broccoli, cauliflower,
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy and kale, but also include rutabagas
and turnips. These vegetables contain cancer-fighting components such
as glucosinolates, indoles and isothiocyanates. According to the American
Institute for Cancer Research, laboratory studies have suggested that
cruciferous vegetables help regulate the body’s complex system
of enzymes that defend against cancer, and components of these vegetables
have shown the ability to stop or reduce growth of cancer cells, including
lung, liver, colon and reproductive cancers. Diets rich in these vegetables
can also lower risk for prostate and bladder cancer.
When selecting
these vegetables, look for large, firm plants with densely-packed flowering
heads (broccoli and cauliflower) and dark green color in the leaves.
Avoid those with yellowed or discolored leaves. These vegetables are
great fresh, sautéed or steamed, and freeze well in many recipes.
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Root
Vegetables
Easy on
the pocketbook and rich in flavor, root vegetables provide a wealth
of dietary fiber and nutrients, and are a welcome addition to soups,
stews and stir-fry dishes. Sweet potatoes pack more beta-carotene than
any other vegetable, including carrots! White potatoes, carrots and
onions now come in every color and variety imaginable. Be adventurous
and try something new, such as Beta Sweet purple carrots or blue potatoes.
Their rich colors add high levels of anthocyanins and carotenoids. When
selecting root vegetables, don’t forget turnips, rutabagas and
parsnips—these underappreciated beauties add zing and color to
everyday dishes, and many have cancer-fighting properties as well.
When selecting
root vegetables, look for good color and firmness. Avoid roots with
bruising, soft spots or signs of shriveling or cracking. If greens are
attached, they should be fresh looking, not wilted. The greens draw
moisture from the root, so remove them promptly before preparation or
storage.
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Fresh
Beans and Peas
Beans and
peas may be harvested at different times depending on how they are to
be used. When bean pods are edible and the seeds inside immature, they
can be used as snap beans; similarly, pea varieties such as sugar snap
and snow peas are best used whole when young. Some bean varieties are
used as shell or dry beans. All varieties of beans are rich sources
of minerals, protein, fiber and lysine.
Beans contain
two types of fiber helpful in protecting us from Diabetes, Cardiovascular
Disease and some cancers: insoluble fiber helps keep blood sugar content
stable and promotes intestinal regularity (although it can also produce
gas)—soluble fiber helps lower LDL-cholesterol and protect the
heart.
Beans and
peas come in a stunning variety of colors and types. When selecting
snap beans and edible pod peas, look for firm, crisp pods with underdeveloped
seeds—the younger the better.
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Corn
There isn’t
another vegetable quite like corn, which not only packs a ton of nutrients
into each kernel (including thiamin, niacin, folate, phosphorus, fiber
and protein), but can also be made into other useful products, such
as packing peanuts, printer’s ink, even ethanol fuel. The pigments
in yellow corn, lutein and zeaxanthin, also protect the macula of the
eye. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly.
When selecting
corn at a farm market, look for ears that are fresh-picked daily. The
longer the corn sits around, the faster its sugars turn to starch. The
ears should be well-rounded and heavy, with dark green, firm husks.
Avoid corn that has already been shucked…you don’t know
how long it’s been there!
For great-tasting,
naturally sweet corn that doesn’t require butter or salt, try
baking the corn in the husk. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and prepare
corn by removing all but the lighter, inner layer of leaves closest
to the kernels. Snap off the stem end, and twist off the silk tops.
Soak the corn in fresh water for at least 30 minutes, then stack in
no more than 2 layers in a 13X9 inch baking pan and bake for 20-30 minutes.
The husks may brown and shrivel slightly. Serve immediately. When the
husks are removed, the silks inside will slide right off with them,
leaving a clean, hot cob of corn ready to eat—crunchy and sweet—no
dressing necessary!
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Vine
Vegetables
Cucumbers,
summer squash, winter squash and melons are examples of vine crops,
as are tomatoes and some bean and pea varieties. Each source offers
a rich variety of nutrients and minerals, and offers a smorgasbord of
textures, flavors and colors from which to choose.
Tomatoes
need a chapter all to themselves. Nothing beats a fresh, juicy tomato
for mouth-tingling flavor and texture. Rich in Vitamin C, tomatoes are
also a great source of the cancer-fighting carotenoid, lycopene. Because
tomatoes have such high water content, they provide more absorbable
lycopene in a cooked or processed state than raw. Sauces and paste provide
a more concentrated source of lycopene. The good news is that a little
oil also helps us absorb carotenoids better, so sautéing these
summer beauties or incorporating them into other dishes with a drizzle
of your favorite vegetable oil is a flavorful way to reap their healthful
benefits.
Summer
Squash, such as yellow crookneck, pattypan and zucchini, play an important
role in our summer diets, although some varieties are available year
round in many places. Tender and sweet when picked young, summer squash
are rich in dietary fiber but low in calories and can be eaten either
cooked or raw. They make a great, colorful addition to salads, casseroles
and omelets. When selecting summer squash, look for smooth, shiny skin
without cuts or blemishes, and a firm, un-shriveled appearance. The
smaller the better…larger squash tend to have larger seeds and
tougher skin. Specimens should be heavy for their size, as lightweight
squash can have underdeveloped, pithy flesh.
Winter
Squash, unlike their summer cousins, just get better with age. With
a tough outer skin and dense flesh, pumpkins, acorn squash, Hubbard
and Butternut provide a rich source of dietary fiber and beta-carotene
(the more orange the flesh, the higher the beta-carotene content). Just
one cup of cooked Butternut or Hubbard squash provides almost 150 percent
of our daily Vitamin A requirement. Winter squashes keep for long periods
(3 months or more) if kept in a cool, dry environment. Avoid storage
in the refrigerator, as this will considerably shorten their shelf life.
When selecting winter squash, look for rich color and a firm, hard skin.
Green acorn squash should be a deep, dull green, with few (if any) yellow
spots or patches. A shiny skin indicates the acorn was picked too young,
and will not be as sweet and dense as a mature specimen. Butternuts
should be smooth and have a deep, even color. The skin should be free
of cracks or soft spots. All winter squash should feel heavy for their
size.
Melons,
such as watermelon, cantaloupe, casaba, and honeydews, are actually
members of the squash family. They provide a sweet, high-moisture snack
that is low in calories, like summer squash, but resemble winter squash
for nutrient value. Red watermelons are another source of lycopene,
and the orange flesh of the cantaloupe is a good source of beta-carotene.
Selecting a ripe melon can be a challenge, but look for specimens that
have a lighter color on one side. With cantaloupes, for instance, the
part of the melon that touches the ground should show a light straw
or yellow color. People often sniff cantaloupes to test for ripeness.
These melons, often called muskmelon, should smell sweet and inviting
when ripe. Another method used by many to select a ripe melon is “thumping.”
Mark Twain once said that a green melon says “pink” when
thumped, and a ripe one says “punk.” |
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