Got Vegetables?

Okay, that's obviously a low-down rip-off of a well known slogan, but I'm convinced that vegetables are a much healthier and more important part of our diet than the other food item that one might name in this slogan. But over the next few days I'm talking about vegetables; so, I'm going to steer clear of any confrontations with other food groups. What proof do I have to offer that vegetables are so healthy? There are things that stand out to me in the large body of facts, presumptions and myths that I've accumulated. So, I think I'll share a few now and add to the topic again tomorrow.

Don't we all know how good vegetables and fruits are supposed to be for us? (Yes, I'll have to share the spotlight with fruits here). I'm always amazed at how few grocery clerks can identify the produce that people take to the check-out lane. That must be an indication of how little fresh produce these clerks are actually seeing on their jobs. I know so many people who eat no other vegetables than potatoes and iceberg lettuce (allegedly, the least healthful lettuce known to mankind). This can't be a normal state of affairs. Didn't the parents or grandparents of these non-vegetable eaters eat vegetables? That's probably a relevant question. If so what happened? Eating some form of potato seems to be the only part of the family tradition that lived on.

Potatoes have received a lot of bad press in recent years. At his website, Jacob Schor sites a study on lung cancer, which showed how eating vegetables helped, vegetables other than potatoes that is. You might pick up a potato latka recipe as an added bonus. Take a look:

http://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/chanukah.html

Acrylamide was a new word for many of us. It's found in potato chips and french fries and the evidence of it's link to cancer is worth our attention. Though I hate to add insult to injury, a website that appears to have some reliable news on this link is located at:

http://www.oncolink.upenn.edu/resources/article.cfm?c=3&s=8&ss=23&Year=2003&Month=1&id=9271

Surely there's a better way to prepare any potatoes we do choose to eat. Another website, eHow.com (whose claim is:How To Do Just About Everything) says that we lose from one quarter to one half of our Vitamin C from vegetables when we mash or puree them. They offer some very good tips on handling, preparing and cooking vegetables and that particular article may be found at: http://www.ehow.com/how_2049734_cook-vegetables-losing-nutrients.html

I did cook a lot of vegetables in the microwave. How could it get any simpler than that, simple and quick. I didn't realize how I was destroying nutrients and getting plastic chemicals in my food. Dr. Mercola at Mercola.com says that microwaving broccoli caused it to lose ninety-seven percent of its nutritional value. He had a lot more to say on the topic at his website, such as about releasing harmful substances from the plastic into your food. That particular page can be found at: http://www.mercola.com/2003/nov/5/microwave_food.htm

A well known source of nutritional advice, the USDA does call for five servings of fruits and vegetables per day in a healthy diet, and I think that's more than just a pyramid scheme. According to the USDA vegetables are divided into five categories, dark green vegetables, orange vegetables, dry beans and peas, starchy vegetables and other vegetables.

Surely everyone has now heard about phytonutrients. The USDA has a FAQ page about phytonutrients posted at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Aboutus/docs.htm?docid=4142

A great number of books have been written about phytonutrients, many of which can be viewed at Amazon.com. I won't talk much about glyconnutrients, but we've heard of them too haven't we? There are claims that eight essential glyconnutrients have been discovered (carbohydrates that can't be synthesized by the body but have proved necessary for good health). You might begin to get acquainted with the essentials on essential carbohydrates at:

http://www.glycoinformation.com/

Thanks for looking in and sorry, Mr Potatohead. I don't want to be a potato hater; so, take a look at this informative article on potatoes if you feel the same way: http://www.answers.com/topic/potato?cat=health

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