For health, many nutrition experts recommend that we eat green vegetables. How can we judge the nutritional value of vegetables? Vegetables contain plant protein, vitamins, mineral ions, dietary fiber, etc. The higher the content of these nutrients, the more nutritious they are for us who eat vegetables.
Raw Liangcai Salad
Green Vegetables
Green fruits and vegetables are rich in folic acid, which has been proven to be one of the "magic medicines" for preventing fetal neural tube defects. At the same time, a large amount of folic acid can effectively remove excess homocysteine from the blood, thereby protecting the heart. In addition, green vegetables are also the best source of calcium, known as the "element of life," and their calcium content is even higher than that of milk, which is commonly considered a "calcium-rich mine." Therefore, eating "green" is regarded by nutritionists as the best way to supplement calcium.
Moreover, green vegetables are also rich in vitamin C, B1, B2, carotene, and various trace elements. They have a certain sedative effect on people with high blood pressure and insomnia, and are beneficial to the liver. Green vegetables also contain tartaric acid, which can prevent carbohydrates from turning into fat.
Pumpkin Almond Milk
Yellow Vegetables
Carrots, soybeans, peanuts, apricots, etc., are rich in two vitamins: one is vitamin A; the other is vitamin D. Vitamin A can protect the gastrointestinal mucosa and prevent diseases such as gastritis and gastric ulcers; vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, two mineral elements, and has a certain preventive effect on common diseases like rickets in children, myopia in adolescents, and osteoporosis in middle-aged and elderly people. Therefore, it is undoubtedly a wise choice for these groups to focus a little more on yellow foods.
Yellow vegetables like leeks, pumpkin, and carrots are rich in vitamin E, which can reduce skin spots and delay aging, benefit the spleen and pancreas, and regulate gastrointestinal digestive function. The flavonoids contained in yellow and green vegetables have a strong anti-cancer effect.
Tomato Stewed Beef Brisket
Red Vegetables
Red vegetables such as tomatoes, red peppers, and red carrots can increase people's appetite and stimulate the nervous system. Red foods contain carotene and other red pigments, which can increase the vitality of cells in the body's resistance tissues. In addition, the carotene in carrots can be converted into vitamin A in the body, playing a role in protecting the body's epithelial tissues, such as the respiratory tract mucosa. Regular consumption can also enhance the body's ability to resist colds.[1-2]
Shandong-style Braised Eggplant
Purple Vegetables
Purple fruits and vegetables contain anthocyanins, which have a powerful anti-arteriosclerosis effect, thus preventing heart attacks and strokes caused by blood clots. They have the effect of regulating the nervous system and increasing adrenal secretion. Recent research has also found that purple eggplants contain more vitamin P than other vegetables, which can enhance the adhesion between body cells, increase the strength of capillaries, and reduce the chance of cerebral vascular embolism. These foods include black strawberries, cherries, eggplants, plums, purple grapes, black pepper, purple eggplants, lentils, etc.
Cold-dressed Wood Ear Mushroom
Black Vegetables
Black vegetables such as black eggplant, kelp, black mushrooms, and black wood ear mushrooms can stimulate the body's endocrine and hematopoietic systems and promote saliva secretion. Black wood ear mushrooms contain a substance with anti-tumor activity that can prevent and treat esophageal cancer, intestinal cancer, and bone cancer.
Black foods like seaweed, black rice, and silkie chicken can significantly reduce the incidence of serious diseases such as arteriosclerosis, coronary heart disease, and stroke. In addition, black wood ear mushrooms can prevent and treat urinary tract stones, and silkie chicken can regulate women's menstruation.
Oyster Sauce Water Bamboo Shoots
White Vegetables
White vegetables such as winter melon, muskmelon, water bamboo shoots, lotus root, bamboo shoots, and white radish have a certain effect on regulating vision and calming emotions, and are beneficial for patients with high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy.
5 Major Misconceptions About Eating Vegetables
Vinegar-Sautéed Cabbage Stalks
Common Vegetables Are Not Nutritious
Cabbage, greens, and radishes have been common vegetables since ancient times, so many people choose to buy some new varieties of vegetables. This is not a bad thing, but the latest research on cruciferous vegetables tells us a truth: after millions of years of experience, our ancestors chose our "home-cooked dishes" and widely planted them for future generations, which is also a manifestation of the "theory of natural selection." Only those that have stood the test of time and are beneficial to human health and continuation can be passed down for so long. Therefore, the foods we are used to eating are often exactly what we need.
The More Expensive the Vegetable, the More Nutritious It Is
Many new varieties of vegetables are more expensive than ordinary ones. Due to the impact of the economic crisis, the price of Chinese cabbage has dropped significantly, but we cannot say that its nutritional value has decreased; it is still the "main dish" for many families in winter. Price is mainly determined by supply and demand, and the key to nutrition is a balanced diet. Various nutrients should be consumed in balance, not judged by price alone. Vegetables are not necessarily the more expensive, the better.
The More Nutritious the Vegetable, the More You Should Eat
Radish is a good thing that can promote circulation and regulate qi, but according to traditional Chinese medicine theory, radish also has the effect of "leaking qi," so the elderly, children, and the weak should not eat too much of it. Therefore, delicious food is good for health, but you must eat it in moderation. Good and bad are just two sides of the same thing, and the "measure" in between is the most important.
The Longer the Storage, the Better
It is very dangerous to eat vegetables after storing them for several days. This hazard mainly comes from nitrates in vegetables. Nitrates themselves are non-toxic, but after a period of storage, due to the action of enzymes and bacteria, nitrates are reduced to nitrites, which are a toxic substance. In the human body, nitrites combine with protein substances to form nitrosamines, which are strongly carcinogenic. Storing vegetables not only produces harmful substances but also leads to the loss of nutrients. In a room at 30°C, after 24 hours of storage, almost all of the vitamin C in green leafy vegetables is lost, while the nitrite content increases several dozen times. It is clear that vegetables cannot be stored for a long time; otherwise, they are not only useless for the body but also a threat to health!
The Hazards of Leftovers
In fact, vegetables are not suitable for storing as leftovers. This is because after a night, the vitamins in the vegetables are oxidized, causing the nitrite content to increase significantly. After entering the stomach, it becomes nitrite. Although nitrates are not directly carcinogenic, they are a major health hazard. However, different types of vegetables generate different amounts of nitrites under the same storage conditions. Usually, leafy stem vegetables have the highest content, followed by gourd vegetables, and root and stem vegetables and cauliflower-type vegetables are in the middle. Therefore, if you buy different types of vegetables at the same time, you should eat the leafy stem ones first, such as Chinese cabbage and spinach. If you plan to cook more food to eat the next day, you should try to make fewer leafy stem vegetables and choose gourd vegetables instead.
When we choose to buy vegetables in our daily lives, we often fall into some misconceptions, thinking that common vegetables are not nutritious. In fact, the vegetables we can eat for a long time are relatively mild and rich in nutrients. When we eat vegetables, it's not a matter of the more nutritious, the more we should eat; we must understand the principle of moderation.
Wheat
Tomato stew
Coolwood
Jealousy cabbage