Variety comparisons and diverse culinary forms, such as juices or dried extracts, determine the nutritional value and physiological impact of plant-based diets on systemic health.
It’s no coincidence that carrots have a permanent place in the produce aisle -- the sweet root vegetable is a popular snack; a common ingredient in soups, stews, salads and slaws; and a staple of crudite platters.
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One of the first things you’ll notice about prune juice is that it’s far thicker than the average fruit juice. This is because there’s no juice to extract from prunes -- instead, the dried fruit is pulverized into a thick paste that’s dissolved in hot water.
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If you eat oranges for their vitamin C, bananas for their potassium and apples for their fiber, you may want to pick up some kiwifruit on your next shopping trip.
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Few foods are as versatile as they are nutritious, but the humble sweet potato is one exception. Whether you bake, roast, grill, saute, steam or microwave it, the orange-fleshed root vegetable delivers substantial amounts of vitamins A, C and B-6, potassium, iron and dietary fiber.
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If food prices were based on nutritional value, the humble carrot would be far more expensive. Carrots are the leading source of beta-carotene -- and therefore an important source of vitamin A -- in the American diet, according to “Wellness Foods A to Z: An Indispensable Guide for Health-Conscious Food Lovers.
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With a per capita consumption rate that exceeds that of apples and grapes combined, bananas have long been America’s favorite fruit. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that since about 1990, the average American has consumed close to 25 pounds of bananas a year.
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It takes little more than water, time and sunshine to transform plump, juicy grapes into sweet, chewy raisins. That doesn’t mean you would have found people downing them by the handful in ancient Rome, where the dried fruit was a precious commodity used to pay taxes, reward top athletes and “cure” old age.
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If statistics are an accurate indication, sweet potatoes are widely underrated in the United States. While the average American enjoys regular potatoes enough to consume more than 36 pounds of them each year, sweet potatoes are appreciated to the tune of just over 5 pounds per person per year.
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Not only do bell peppers pack more nutrients per calorie than practically any other food, but these crisp, sweet vegetables are as versatile as they are nutritious. While it doesn’t take much effort to incorporate bell peppers into your diet, how you choose to prepare them can affect their nutritional value.
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The Chinese have harvested and eaten kiwifruit, known to them as “yang tao,” since ancient times, according to “The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods.” Missionaries carried the fruit to New Zealand in the early 20th century, where they became known as Chinese gooseberries.
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Whether they came from a bag or straight from the fruit, you’ve probably tasted pumpkin seeds. Pumpkins aren’t the only winter squash that contain edible seeds; however, you can eat the seeds of virtually any squash variety, including acorn squash.
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Oxalate is a chemical compound that occurs naturally in almost every plant to some degree, including fruit, vegetable and grain plants. Oxalate is usually located in leaves or bark, where the compound binds with calcium to remove it when plants go through their seasonal shedding.
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Americans eat more zucchini than any other kind of summer squash, according to the book “Wellness Foods A to Z: An Indispensable Guide for Health-Conscious Food Lovers.” Unlike winter squash, zucchini is harvested before it matures on the vine -- while its skin is still thin, tender and edible.
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Carrots are the second most widely consumed root vegetable in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Although potatoes may be the perennial favorite, carrots still have a lot to offer. These sweet, earthy vegetables are low in calories, a good source of fiber and incredibly versatile.
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A number of world cuisines, including Jamaican, Filipino, Indonesian and Indian, incorporate coconut into savory dishes as well as sweet desserts. In Thailand, which has the lowest cancer rate of all 50 countries surveyed by the National Cancer Institute, some form of coconut appears in almost every dish.
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When it comes to produce, perishability isn’t necessarily a liability – buy a pint of raspberries and you know you’ll have about a week to eat them before they go to waste. Acorn squash, like other winter squash varieties, keeps far longer than most fresh produce.
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With its innumerable varieties, cabbage is considered the king of the family of cruciferous vegetables, which also includes Brussels sprouts, turnips, kale, collards, mustard greens, rutabaga, broccoli and cauliflower.
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If potatoes make it onto your plate more often than sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli or any other vegetable, you’re in the majority. The U.S.
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Celery and parsley come from the same botanical family as carrots, parsnips, dill, fennel and hundreds of other well-known plants.
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With their long, slender stems, ultra-small caps and creamy white color, enoki mushrooms are more elegant than the average fungus. These crisp, mildly sweet mushrooms -- known as “snow puffs” in their native Japan -- grow in bouquetlike clusters and are traditionally eaten raw or lightly cooked.
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