By Isaac Toussie
This writing has been posted strictly for informational and human interest purposes only, and not for medical or advisory purposes and does not necessarily constitute the opinions or conclusions of the provider. The reader should not rely upon the validity of any of the information below. Readers are urged to consult doctors, nutritionists, and other medical professionals when seeking advice about food, nutrition, diet, and physiology.
People understand that it is vitally important to watch out for food scams, as fraud could exist even on food labeling. Pardon the thought but these days, when so many people are concerned about issues like housing and work place discrimination, fashion, entertainment, real estate, mortgages, vacations, and so on and so forth, issues like food safety and quality may become unnecessarily overshadowed.
Vegetables are herbaceous, or non-woody, plants that are edible to human beings. They come in many shapes and sizes and can be merely a part of the plant, such as cucumbers, which are actually the fruit of the cucumber vine, or they can be the plant itself, such as is the case with broccoli. They are an important part of good healthy diets, and a simple rule-of-thumb recommends eating five different colors of vegetables each day in order to ensure the most complete nutrition possible.
Getting good vegetables means carefully choosing them, selecting for quality and freshness. This usually means those which are locally and organically grown. Organically grown vegetables do not contain pesticides and other chemical agents that not only harm pests and vermin but human beings as well. Locally grown vegetables are usually less expensive to purchase because of the shorter distances involved in transporting them to market. Locally grown vegetables also means vegetables that are in season, which studies confirm to contain the highest nutritional values. For example, spinach that is in season can contain up to three times more Vitamin C than during other times of the year.
It is important to also check on the maturity of your vegetables. Although they do not ripen in the same way as fruits, they do reach maturity nonetheless and it is important to check this factor as taste and nutritional value depend on it. Bruising is an important aspect to consider, as cell damage can degrade their vitamin content, particularly Vitamin C. Storage is also an very important consideration, as some kinds of vegetables are better unrefrigerated and others almost require it if they are not scheduled for consumption within as little as a day after purchase or even picking!
Preparation is also important because nutritional value can be lost through careless handling; for example, soaking leafy green vegetables for longer than a couple of minutes will cause water-soluble vitamins, such as Vitamin B and Vitamin C, to "leak out." Another example of proper preparation is cutting vegetables into small pieces prior to cooking so that they will cook more quickly and therefore better preserve their nutritional content, which is affect by the heat. And when it comes to cooking, sometimes it is critical to treat each vegetable as an individual food or dish in itself and not simply as mere garnishment; most vegetables are almost unforgiving of overcooking, unlike meats or grains.
This article was submitted by Isaac Toussie to provide some helpful information on Vegetables. Keep an eye out for more Isaac Toussie articles to come!
Source:www.isnare.com |
