Green Veggies to the Rescue ... from Bottom Line's Daily Health News

November 22, 2005

Green Veggies to the Rescue

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.

November 23, 2005

Alafia,

Thank you very much for that insight. I am new to raw. I tried it for a couple meals over the last 2 years, but I say I am new because as of tomorrow, I will be two weeks raw old....I have being eating raw for 2 weeks and loving it. I though it would be hard because I work out of my car and every block of the city has some kind of restaurant with good smelling food.

With the help of God...Much praying...I am still going strong. I ate lots of flax seed crackers, I even inventing my own recipes. Made fruit roll ups, nut meat loaf and more. Now, I need to start with a plan to make sure I am getting the right nutrient, and with this information on green veggies, is just what I need...

I do thank you very much for this information...

Odabo

Oyafunke

James Garrett <jhgarrett wrote:

Green Veggies to the Rescue 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...

VitaminA (IU)

VitaminK (mcg)

Beta carotene (mcg)

Lutein+Zeaxanthin(mcg)

Potassium(mg)

Folate(mcg)

VitaminC (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