Mother was right Eat your vegetables

[Guest guest]

( Unless Mother just gave up and took you to McDonalds.

But what vegetables and whether Mom cooked the crap

out of them also makes a difference... Iceberg lettuce not so

good as you'll see

 

 

Green Veggies to the Rescue

From Bottom Line's Daily Health News

November 22, 2005

 

I have a friend who used to call iceberg lettuce a " waste of chewing

time " because it provides very little nutritional value. Of course, if

there is one single thing that virtually every nutritionist -- from

the lowest of the low-carbers to the highest of the high-carbers --

agrees on, it's that we should all be eating more green, leafy

vegetables. So, if you're going to eat the lettuce, which ones are

worth the effort? And why are they so fantastic for us in the first place?

 

THE ROOT OF GREENS

 

To find out, I interviewed Sonja Pettersen, ND, whose use of whole

foods and understanding of their healing properties are a big part of

her naturopathic medical practice.

 

" To start with, the compound that makes plants green is chlorophyll, "

Dr. Pettersen explained. " Chlorophyll is a natural blood purifier. The

by-products of bacterial, fungal, yeast or viral infections litter the

blood vessels with compounds that shouldn't be there. Our own immune

system creates complexes that attack these foreign substances, and

chlorophyll goes a long way toward assisting our bodies in cleaning

them out. "

 

She went on to explain that since everything travels through the

blood, blood is ultimately our way of eliminating " sludge. "

" Chlorophyll will manage bacterial growth, " she told me. " It helps

remove unwanted residue and is a natural anti-inflammatory. It's

renewing to the tissues. And it helps activate enzymes, so your own

body systems and actions will reach their potential. " Indeed, super

chlorophyll-containing plants -- such as spirulina, chlorella, and

wild blue-green algae -- are an essential part of the healing armament

in Traditional (TCM) and other Eastern practices.

 

Which lettuces are best? Here's a rundown of those that are the most

powerful. The numbers are the amounts of the vitamins found in one raw

cup...

 

Vitamin

A (IU) Vitamin

K (mcg) Beta carotene (mcg) Lutein+

Zeaxanthin

(mcg) Potassium

(mg) Folate

(mcg) Vitamin

C (mg) Calcium

(mg)

Red leaf lettuce 2,098 39 1,258 483 52 10 1 9

Iceberg 361 17 215 199 102 21 2 13

Romaine 2,730 48 1,637 1,087 116 64 11 16

Butterhead 1,822 56 1,093 673 131 40 2 19

Arugula 474 22 284 710 74 19 3 32

Watercress 1,598 85 959 1,961 112 3 15 41

Endive 1,084 115 650 0 157 71 3 26

Mustard greens 5,881 278 3,528 5,543 198 105 39 58

Spinach 2,813 145 1,688 3,659 167 58 8 30

Kohlrabi 49 0.1 30 0 473 22 84 32

Kale 10,300 547 6,182 26,500 299 19 80 91

 

Source: www.nutritiondata.com

 

CRUCIFEROUS CANCER FIGHTERS

 

The Brassica group of vegetables, which includes cruciferous

vegetables such as broccoli, are packed with compounds called

glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are not well absorbed by humans until

they come into contact with myrosinase, an enzyme that's produced in

the gut. At that point, they turn into truly amazing compounds called

isothiocyanates, which are now thought to be the primary agents

responsible for the anticancer activity of cruciferous vegetables.

Isothiocyanates have been shown to have direct effects on human cancer

cells, suppressing tumor growth and inhibiting cellular proliferation.

They also help the liver in its job of detoxification.

 

Note: Proper gut function is necessary to produce the isothiocyanates,

so if you are taking antacids, you will be indirectly blocking much of

the synthesis of this crucial compound.

 

Winners in the Brassica group are watercress, broccoli, cauliflower,

cabbage, brussels sprouts, arugula and kale.

 

A note about cooking vegetables: Although eating most vegetables raw

provides maximum nutrition, sometime we want them cooked. It is far

better to steam veggies than to microwave them. Approximately 36% of

nutrients are lost through steaming... but as much as 97% can be lost

by microwaving.

 

The beneficial compounds outlined above are actually the same ones

that give certain plants their bitter taste, according to Dr.

Pettersen. " For example, arugula is much more bitter than iceberg

lettuce -- and it also has much more benefit. " She said that there is

what might be called a " bitter continuum, " with greens at the bitter

end providing the most nutritional benefits.

 

ANTIOXIDANTS, OF COURSE

 

Of course, green vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, which are

vitamins and other compounds that help block the free radicals that

can cause DNA damage, aging and even cancer. Antioxidants are rated on

an oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) scale, which is a rating

of the combined antioxidant power of a food -- how much antioxidant

punch they (the antioxidants in the food) pack when taken together,

working synergistically. The higher the rating, the better.

 

ORAC ratings of common vegetables

Kale 1,770

Spinach 1,260

Brussels sprouts 980

Alfalfa sprouts 930

Broccoli florets 890

Beets 840

Red bell peppers 710

 

All in all, most greens are definitely worth the chewing time.