 
PRODUCE: How
to increase nutritional value
coloful plate
Eat a variety of colors from all parts of the rainbow to increase nutritional value. Different
colors contain different nutrients,
phytochemicals & antioxidants
good for warding off disease.
Blue/purple | Fruits & vegetables such as blackberries, blueberries, plums, eggplant, grapes & currants
contain chemicals currently being studied for their
anti-aging benefits.
Green | Avocado, broccoli,
limes, apples, peppers & spinach contain disease-fighting
chemicals such as lutein.
White | Bananas, brown pears, cauliflower, onions,
turnips & various other fruits & veggies in this group include chemicals & nutrients that fight off cancer & promote healthy hearts.
Yellow/Orange | Choose
from apricots, cantaloupe, lemons, mangos, peaches, carrots, sweet potatoes & squash to boost your immune system, help your vision & keep the heart healthy.
Red | Find
chemicals good for memory, urinary tract health and the heart
in fruits & veggies such as apples, cherries,
cranberries, raspberries, strawberries, watermelon, beets, red cabbage, radishes, rhubarb & tomatoes.
Source: Produce for Better Health
Foundation
Here are some of the nutritional benefits from several
vegetables:
- Calcium: for strong bones & for maintaining blood pH, is found
in broccoli, lettuce, green beans, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, celery & parsley.
- Copper: for
elasticity of blood vessels & heart, is found in vegetables grown in soil rich in minerals,
contained in hummus.
- Iron: to build up blood & carry oxygen
to cells, is found in spinach, collards, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers & parsley.
- Manganese: needed to metabolize proteins & fats, is found in such legumes as beans, peas & lentils.
- Potassium: which maintains fluid levels in cells,
is found in spinach, celery, lettuce, zucchini & other squashes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, radishes,
parsley & cucumbers. (Bananas, not a vegetable,
of course, deserve mention here as a high-potassium source.)
- Selenium: an antioxidant believed to protect cells, is found in corn & legumes. Soil enriched in pulverized kelp will contain this chemical.
- Vitamin A: an
antioxidant & immune system booster, is found in carrots, bell peppers, butternut squash, collards, parsley & spinach.
- Vitamin B6: taken to metabolize protein & control symptoms of stress, is found in spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, beans, tomatoes, squash, parsley & lettuce.
- Vitamin C: an essential nutrient thought to prevent
colds, is found in sweet peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, Brussels sprouts, collards, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, beans &
celery.
- Vitamin E: an antioxidant & some say, a sexual potency enhancer, is found in legumes & leafy green vegetables,
such as collards.
- Zinc: for cell division, growth, sunburn, bug
bites & healing, is found in spinach, parsley, lettuce, squash & beans, such as limas.
Nutritional Information
Excellent
source of vitamin C & folate. Good source of calcium.
What To Look For
Look
for small, soft leaves. (The bigger the leaves are, the more peppery & hot they become.)
Easy Storage & Preparation
Will
keep for 1 or 2 days if refrigerated. Discard the long stems. Wash well in several changes of water to remove any dirt. Dry
well.
Best Uses
Often
used in salads. Its warm flavor is good with olives, hard-cooked eggs, grilled onions & salty cheeses. Use vinaigrettes
with strong acids, such as sherry vinegars, lemon juice, or aged red wine.
click here for recipes that use arugula!
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It's in the news....
Broccoli
Broccoli is a Super Food. New research suggests that broccoli is especially
good for the stomach.
Broccoli & cancer risk:
A compound found in broccoli
& broccoli sprouts appears to be more effective than modern antibiotics against the
bacteria which causes peptic ulcers.
Tests in mice show that the compound offers tremendous
protection against stomach cancer, the 2nd most common form of cancer in the world.
The recent study, led by scientists at Johns Hopkins University, is the latest in a series of
studies done in the past 10 years on the cancer-fighting potential of broccoli.
Back in 1992, Johns
Hopkins University pharmacology professor Paul Talalay & his colleagues showed that sulforaphane - a substance produced
by the body from a compound in broccoli - could trigger the production of phase II enzymes.
Phase II enzymes
can detoxify cancer-causing chemicals & are among the most potent anti-cancer compounds known to man.
It should be noted
that broccoli sprouts have shown to be every bit as beneficial as full grown brocoli. A different study showed that consumption
of broccoli was strongly associated w/a reduced
risk of coronary heart disease death in postmenopausal women.
In yet another study conducted jointly w/US & Chinese
researchers , it was found that chemicals present in broccoli, cabbage, bok choy & other cruciferous vegetables
may protect
against lung cancer.
Researchers studied
more than 18,000 men. They recorded 259 cases of lung cancer during the study's follow-up period. The researchers found that
the men with detectable amounts of a substance known as 'isothiocyanates' in their bodies had a 36% lower risk of developing
lung cancer over a 10-year period.
Isothiocyanates are found in broccoli and
other so called 'cruciferous' vegetables.
visit
the following websites to learn more about broccoli!
healing daily
broccoli.com
grow your own broccoli at home!
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read about food safety in handling produce: click here!
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