Best of the Best Vegetables
Just the facts!
Leafy greens:
Swiss chard, kale, spinach and collards rank among the top
vegetables for their nutrition boosters. Vitamin K and carotenoids
run rampant - and do you a world of good. In addition, they
contain impressive amounts of calcium, iron, potassium and
vitamin C. Brussels sprouts and broccoli are in the same ballpark.
Vitamin K:
Asparagus, endive and romaine lettuce gets top ranks, as well,
because of their vitamin K. Red peppers are the only vegetable
with more than a full day's worth for vitamin C (they've got
twice as much as their nearest competitor - broccoli).
Next in line: Decent
sources of vitamin K and brimming with vitamin C are cauliflower,
kohlrabi and green pepper, with about one-half-a-day's worth
of each. Avocado, parsnips and peas supply both fiber and
folate. A baked potato with the skin trounces its skinless
version. The skin supplies much of your fiber and iron.
Last - but not least!
Iceberg lettuce and celery boost your vitamin K stores, while
turnips and radishes chip in a good dose of vitamin C. In
fact, many have at least five percent of a day's worth of
two or three different nutrients. Take yellow squash - it
delivers at least five percent of a day's carotenoids, vitamin
C, fiber and vitamin K. Add them up and you have a good reason
to throw some on the grill.
What's more, all vegetables harbor valuable phytochemicals.
Onions and garlic, for example, contain flavonoids and allium
compounds. It is too early, however, to say whether they prevent
cancer, heart disease or anything else - but don't let that
stop you! Without onions and garlic…well, why even bother
cooking?
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