Often, the food on our dining tables is what we love to eat, but it is not necessarily nutritious for us. When we eat vegetables, we often only eat the main part and discard the scraps, but in fact, the scraps also contain many treasures. In fact, the nutritional value of many vegetable "scraps" in our lives is far beyond our imagination.
When we eat some vegetables, we often find the leaves a bit bitter and discard them, only eating the stems. In fact, these leaves hide many treasures. For example, the beta-carotene in lettuce leaves is 9.7 times higher than in the stems, and the vitamin C content is 14 times higher. Beta-carotene can be converted into vitamin A in the small intestine. Vitamin A protects the epidermis of the skin, making it soft, shiny, and elastic. The stems and leaves of radishes are also highly nutritious and have the effect of stimulating appetite, stopping diarrhea, and relieving dysentery. Radish leaves contain a lot of carotene, more than three times that of broccoli, and are also rich in vitamins B1 and B2. Another example is celery leaves; their nutritional value is far higher than that of celery stems. Nutritionists once tested 13 nutritional components of celery stems and leaves and found that 10 indicators in celery leaves exceeded those in the stems. It is clear that the nutritional value of celery leaves should not be ignored.
We can collect these leaves, blanch them in water, and then dress them with a sauce for a nice cold summer dish. If you find these leaves hard to eat, it doesn't matter. Mix them with other vegetables to make a filling for dumplings, and the bitter taste will not be as noticeable!
The Peels Section
Do you think peels should be thrown away without a second thought? You are wrong. We know that the sun is the source of energy for plants, and the base for nutrient synthesis in plants is also close to sunlight. Therefore, for many nutrients that are beneficial to the human body, such as polyphenols, they are found in the peels. For example, eggplant is a great dietary food for people with cardiovascular diseases. A large amount of nutrients such as anthocyanins, pectin, and flavonoids are hidden in the eggplant skin. Peeling the eggplant not only reduces its health value but can also cause the iron in it to oxidize when exposed to air, turning it black easily and affecting the body's absorption of iron. We can eat it stir-fried with the skin on. The cucumber peel contains more bitter substances, which is the essence of cucumber's nutrition. Eating cucumbers with the skin on allows for full absorption of vitamin C and helps the body detoxify effectively. In addition, cucumber peel also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. "Fresh Mixed Three Peels," made by blanching watermelon peel, cucumber peel, and winter melon peel and then dressing them, is most suitable for people who are losing weight.
The Seeds Section
Some vegetable seeds are also easily ignored by us, such as winter melon seeds. The linoleic acid and other substances in the vegetable oil contained in winter melon seeds are moisturizing agents for the skin and have considerable beauty value. Moreover, modern nutritional research has found that winter melon seeds contain saponins, fats, citrulline, unsaturated fatty acids, oleic acid, and other components. These components can effectively reduce the levels of fat and cholesterol in the blood and have a positive significance in preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases. We can dry the winter melon seeds, stir-fry them in a hot pan, and eat a small handful as a snack every day. Another example is the seeds of green peppers and chili peppers, which are rich in vitamin C. It's a pity to throw them away, as they are good for beauty, enhancing blood vessel elasticity, and promoting bone growth. They can be used as seasonings.
As you can see, there are many treasures in vegetables! Why not collect them and let them do more good for our bodies?