To stay healthy, eat more vegetables! Different vegetables have different nutritional values. Eating more vegetables can help you maintain a healthier body and better appearance in this windy spring. Here, we introduce you to some novel varieties of vegetables:
Cherry Tomato — The Beauty and Cancer-Fighting Little Tomato
Alias: Small tomato, cherry tomato
Origin: Cherry tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountains of America. Through continuous artificial cultivation, they have taken on their current appearance and are named for their resemblance to red cherries.
Appearance and Taste: They are mostly long-oval in shape, but some are rounder. Their color is brighter than that of a ripe common tomato, and they also come in pink, orange, and yellow. They are sweet with a slight sourness and not as soft as common tomatoes.
Nutritional Value:
A) Cherry tomatoes have the highest content of Vitamin PP among fruits and vegetables. Vitamin PP helps protect the skin, maintain normal gastric secretion, promote red blood cell production, and has a supplementary therapeutic effect on liver diseases.
B) The Vitamin C content in cherry tomatoes is 10 times that of watermelon. The organic acids in them can protect Vitamin C from being destroyed or less destroyed during cooking, thus preventing various types of cancer.
Best for: Women who want to enhance their beauty and cancer patients.
Important Note: Cherry tomatoes should not be eaten on an empty stomach as it can easily cause stomach problems. It is best to eat them after a meal.
How to Eat: A) Eat raw; B) Mix in salads or other cold dishes; C) Cook or make into tomato sauce.
Winged Bean — The King of Plant Protein
Alias: Goa bean, asparagus pea, four-angled bean
Origin: Tropical Africa and tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia. It is also distributed in Hainan Island, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Hunan, and Sichuan in China.
Appearance and Taste: It has four ridges, a tender green color, and looks somewhat like a star fruit. It is crisp, refreshing, and not greasy.
Nutritional Value: Winged beans are highly nutritious. The entire plant is valuable. Its content of protein, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals ranks first among bean foods, earning it the title "King of Plant Protein." It is also rich in iron and is known as a "blood-enriching" vegetable.
Best for: Vegetarians and people who need to supplement iron.
Important Note: Winged beans contain toxic substances such as trypsin inhibitors and hemagglutinins, so they should not be eaten raw.
How to Eat: A) Stir-fry; B) For cold dishes, blanch in boiling water until thoroughly cooked.
Purple Back Red Kale — A Cancer-Preventing and Health-Preserving Vegetable
Alias: Gynura bicolor, red wind vegetable, blood-skin vegetable, Guanyin vegetable
Origin: Originally from China, it is widely cultivated in Sichuan, Guangdong, Hainan, and Taiwan.
Appearance and Taste: The leaves are green with a slight purple hue on the front and purplish-red on the back. The texture is tender and smooth.
Nutritional Value: The fresh stems and leaves are rich in Vitamin C and also contain flavonoids, which can extend the effect of Vitamin C. Its iron content is 75 mg per 100 grams of fresh edible parts, which is twenty to thirty times higher than that of Chinese cabbage, radishes, and gourds, and comparable to iron-rich vegetables like celery. Long-term consumption of this vegetable can help treat hemoptysis, dysmenorrhea, blood deficiency, bronchitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and iron-deficiency anemia.
Best for: Postpartum women and others who need to enrich their blood.
Important Note: Cannot be eaten raw.
How to Eat: A) It is best for cold dishes; B) Stir-fried; C) As a filling; D) In soups; E) In beverages. The tender stems and leaves are often eaten cold or stir-fried, and can also be used in soups. When Purple Back Red Kale is infused with boiling water, it turns a purplish-red color, has a slightly sour and refreshing taste. Adding a little sugar makes it even better. It can relieve summer heat, aid digestion, and promote stomach health and alcohol metabolism.
Cactus — A Super Healthy Vegetable
Origin: Mexico
Appearance and Taste: It looks similar to ornamental cacti, but with fewer spines on its pads. It has a slightly sour taste that is crisp, smooth, and refreshing with a pleasant aroma.
Nutritional Value:
A) It is a high-calcium, high-potassium, and flavonoid-rich vegetable that is low in sodium and free of oxalic acid. Unlike most vegetables, it doesn't contain oxalic acid, which prevents the formation of calcium oxalate and thus avoids the loss of calcium from the body. Cactus is堪称 the best choice for supplementing and preserving calcium.
B) It has the effect of lowering blood lipids and blood sugar. Regular consumption can eliminate excess cholesterol, fat, and sugar in the body, promoting blood circulation, detoxifying heat, and boosting metabolism.
Best for: People who need to supplement calcium, and those with high blood lipids or high blood sugar.
Important Note: The edible cactus is spineless and non-toxic, but wild cacti not only have spines but also contain toxins that can cause poisoning and paralysis of the nervous system. Therefore, never eat wild or ornamental cacti. Edible cactus should be purchased from a supermarket.
How to Eat: A) Cold salad; B) Stir-fried; C) Stewed.
Baby Carrot — A Small Radish for Lowering Blood Pressure and Lipids
Origin: USA
Appearance and Taste: These baby carrots are not naturally small; they are processed by machine to make them more convenient for eating raw. Look at their cross-section; the core is much thinner than that of a regular carrot, making them sweeter and crispier.
Nutritional Value: Rich in over 20 vitamins, lignin, interferon inducers, and other components, it is effective in promoting human development, improving immunity, resisting bacteria and tumors, lowering blood pressure and lipids, and promoting the secretion of adrenaline. Compared to regular carrots, it has a higher sugar content and a lower lignin content in its core, making it more beneficial to the human body.
Best for: Patients with hypertension and hyperlipidemia.
Important Note: Carrots are very high in vitamins. Stir-frying them in hot oil helps with the absorption of vitamins.
How to Eat: A) Eat raw directly; B) Juice; C) Stir-fry.
Mini Cucumber — A Top Choice for Diabetics
Alias: Dutch cucumber, mini cucumber
Origin: Holland, with similar varieties also found in other European countries.
Appearance and Taste: Only half the length of a regular cucumber, its skin is crisp and smooth, without the bumps of a regular cucumber. The flesh is crisp and tender, sweet, juicy, and has a strong cucumber flavor.
Nutritional Value: Mini cucumbers have the highest content of propanol and ethanol among gourds. The main function is to inhibit the conversion of sugars into fats, thus aiding in weight loss. Because it contains glucose glycosides, fructose, mannitol, xylose, and other substances that do not participate in sugar metabolism, it is very suitable for diabetics to eat.
Best for: People who want to lose weight and diabetics.
Important Note: It is not advisable to eat with fruits and vegetables high in Vitamin C, as mini cucumbers contain Vitamin C decomposing enzymes that can break down and destroy the absorption of Vitamin C from other fruits and vegetables.
How to Eat: A) Eat raw directly; B) Cold salad or stir-fry; C) Pickle.
New Zealand Spinach — A Heat-Clearing and Detoxifying Vegetable
Alias: Tetragonia tetragonioides, New Zealand spinach, summer spinach
Appearance and Taste: It is emerald green, and its tender leaves are eaten. The texture is tender and the taste is fresh and fragrant.
Nutritional Value: The tender stems and leaves of New Zealand spinach contain antibiotic-like substances and have the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, dispelling wind and reducing swelling, and cooling the blood and promoting urination.
Best for: It has a certain therapeutic effect on stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, and rectal cancer.
Important Note: New Zealand spinach contains tannins, so it generally needs to be blanched in hot water before consumption.
How to Eat: A) Stir-fry; B) Cold salad; C) In soups.
Bak Choy — Rich in Fiber and Selenium
Origin: Southern China
Appearance and Taste: The leaves of Bak Choy are dark green, darker than Shanghai bok choy, and the stems are milky white. The texture is fragrant, smooth, and sweet.
Nutritional Value: It has a high chlorophyll content and is rich in nutritional value. Bak Choy can help break down androgens associated with breast cancer, and regular consumption can prevent breast cancer. It is also rich in dietary fiber and the trace element selenium, which also helps prevent colon cancer.
Best for: Because the fibers are short and the taste is sweet and refreshing, it is very suitable for children.
Important Note: Bak Choy contains a relatively high amount of nitrates. Rotten Bak Choy can convert nitrates into nitrites, which are harmful to the human body. Accidental consumption can cause poisoning symptoms, so rotten Bak Choy must never be eaten.
How to Eat: A) Stir-fry; B) Braise; C) In soups.
Bulb Fennel — An Appetite-Stimulating and Stomach-Tonic Vegetable
Alias: Sweet fennel, Italian fennel, Florence fennel
Origin: Southern Italy
Appearance and Taste: Its leafy part is similar to common fennel, but the root is swollen into a bulb shape, much like an onion. In fact, the nutritional content of the bulb is lower than that of the leaves, but the bulb has a stronger aroma, a slight sweetness, and a crisp and refreshing texture. Therefore, usually, the feathery leaves are cut off and only the bulb part is sold.
Nutritional Value: Rich in Vitamin C and anethole, it has the health benefits of strengthening the stomach and expelling wind, and can treat symptoms such as stomach cold pain, nausea, vomiting, and bloating.
Important Note: When cooking, stir-fry over high heat for a short time and pay attention to controlling the heat. For cold bulb fennel salad, be careful not to over-blanch it, and add a small amount of white vinegar. It must be mixed and eaten immediately. Bulb fennel can be processed into slices, pieces, strips, shreds, and dices.
How to Eat: A) Stir-fry; B) Cold salad.
Violet Cabbage — A Vitamin-Rich Vegetable
Alias: Wutacao, black cabbage, etc.
Origin: The Yangtze River region of China.
Appearance and Taste: Violet cabbage is a variety of bok choy. Its leaves are dark green, tightly packed, wrinkled, and tender, sweet, and delicious.
Nutritional Value: It is particularly high in Vitamin C and calcium. It also contains high levels of ascorbic acid, carotene, and calcium mineral salts.
Important Note: Violet cabbage that is sold in the cold winter is of the highest quality.
How to Eat: A) Stir-fry with other ingredients for a colorful and delicious mix; B) Stir-frying or making soup gives it more flavor. It is suitable for quick stir-frying and hot pot.
Colorful Bell Pepper — A Cancer-Preventing and Weight-Loss Chili
Alias: Colorful pepper, sweet pepper
Origin: Tropical Americas, around Peru and Chile.
Appearance and Taste: Comes in various colors like red, yellow, orange, chocolate, and tangerine. It's a square-shaped bell pepper that is slightly sweet and not spicy.
Nutritional Value: Its nutritional content is much higher than that of tomatoes and eggplants from the same crop. It is rich in Vitamin C and also contains capsaicin, capsanthin, which can stimulate appetite, promote fat metabolism, prevent fat accumulation in the body, and achieve the goal of weight loss.
Important Note: The darker the color, the higher the nutritional value. Green and purple ones are crispier, while yellow and orange ones are more tender.
How to Eat: A) As a cold salad, it can be mixed with various fresh seasonal vegetables; B) Stir-fried.