Lanlan is an experienced housewife who is in charge of the family's grocery basket. Lanlan says she is an expert in selecting vegetables, and her primary principle is to choose fresh ones, because vegetables lose a large amount of vitamins after being stored for 1-2 days, so fresh vegetables have the most complete nutrition.
New Perspective: Nutrition = Freshness + Color
Freshness is indeed an important principle for us when choosing vegetables. However, if you cannot ensure a sufficient variety of vegetables in your selection, the nutrition is not yet complete. Many of the nutrients our bodies need come from the vegetables we consume. In daily life, an adult should consume 200-500 grams of vegetables per day to meet the body's needs.
Scientists have analyzed the nutritional content of many vegetables and found that the nutritional value of vegetables is closely related to their color. Darker-colored vegetables have higher nutritional value, while lighter-colored ones have lower. The order is "green vegetables > yellow and red vegetables > colorless vegetables".
Moreover, even among vegetables of the same type, different colors mean different nutritional values. For example, purple eggplant is rich in vitamin P. Compared to eggplants of other colors, it can increase the resistance of capillary walls, improve vascular function, and is quite beneficial for patients with hypertension, purpura, and diseases prone to bleeding. Yellow carrots are more nutritious than red carrots. In addition to containing a large amount of carotene, they also contain flavonoids, which have a strong anti-cancer effect and can help prevent cancer.
Warm Reminder:
To determine if your grocery basket is nutritionally rich, don't neglect the variety and color combination of your vegetables in addition to the standard of freshness. Seasonal Changes: When are Vegetables Most Nutritious?
Unlike her mother's generation, Xiao Jie no longer considers seasonal changes when buying vegetables. Because of continuous improvements in cultivation technology and transportation capabilities, almost all vegetables can appear on people's dining tables year-round. Therefore, Xiao Jie always says that now you can eat any vegetable in any season.
New Perspective: Vegetable Nutrition Varies by Season
The nutritional value of many fruits and vegetables changes significantly with the seasons. For example, the vitamin C content in the edible part of 100 grams of tomatoes bought in July is twice that of January; the vitamin C content of cucumbers in summer is also about twice that in winter; and the beta-carotene content in carrots in June is 1.5 times that in the middle of winter.
Spinach is the vegetable whose nutritional value changes the most with the seasons. The spinach available in winter has 8 times the nutritional value of spinach available between May and October. Vegetables like spinach that are available in winter, because they are exposed to not very strong sunlight throughout the winter, will gradually increase the content of nutrients related to photosynthesis. After entering summer, their water content increases significantly, while solid nutrients decrease by about half.