Vegetable Virtues: Nutritional Values

A taste for vegetables is an acquired one. That children refuse to eat them is no mystery. That groups who are otherwise quite civilized look on in disgust as other folks savor lima beans, cooked with a dab of bacon, seems thoroughly rational to them.

Besides, if the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil had been Brussels sprouts, we might today live in perfect felicity.

And so we have to plead for the goodness of the lowly vegetable and find in their defense what we may. Then we discover that Mother was right; they are good for you.

Here are some of the nutritional benefits from several vegetables:

  • Calcium, for strong bones and for maintaining blood pH, is found in broccoli, lettuce, green beans, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, celery, and parsley.
  • Copper, for elasticity of blood vessels and heart, is found in vegetables grown in soil rich in minerals, contained in humus.
  • Iron, to build up blood and carry oxygen to cells, is found in spinach, collards, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and parsley.
  • Manganese, needed to metabolize proteins and fats, is found in such legumes as beans, peas, and lentils.
  • Potassium, which maintains fluid levels in cells, is found in spinach, celery, lettuce, zucchini and other squashes, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, parsley, and cucumbers. (Bananas, not a vegetable, of course, deserve mention here as a high-potassium source.)
  • Selenium, an antioxidant believed to protect cells, is found in corn and legumes. Soil enriched in pulverized kelp will contain this chemical.
  • Vitamin A, an antioxidant and immune system booster, is found in carrots, bell peppers, butternut squash, collards, parsley, and spinach.
  • Vitamin B6, taken to metabolize protein and control symptoms of stress, is found in spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, beans, tomatoes, squash, parsley, and lettuce.
  • Vitamin C, an essential nutrient thought to prevent colds, is found in sweet peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, Brussels sprouts, collards, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, beans, and celery.
  • Vitamin E, an antioxidant and, some say, a sexual potency enhancer, is found in legumes and leafy green vegetables, such as collards.
  • Zinc, for cell division, growth, sunburn, bug bites and healing, is found in spinach, parsley, lettuce, squash, and beans, such as limas.
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    --Peter Van Egmond, MG

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