Who’s the winner?
There is the remark on social media that potatoes give us french fries, chips and vodka – it’s like the other vegetables aren’t even trying. Au contraire! Every vegetable contributes in its own way, and it’s not a competition. Humankind creates all-star games, Olympics, Super Bowls and cornhole throwdowns to see who is the winner. Lettuce, beets, chickpeas and tomatoes jump into a salad bowl together singing “Imagine.”
So, in the spirit of non-competition, here are vitamins, elements and minerals in no particular order and which vegetables provide them.
How many of us wake up with niacin on our minds? Doesn’t matter. Niacin (vitamin B-3) turns food into energy and helps to keep your skin, nervous system and stomach juices healthy. It also increases levels of healthy HDL cholesterol. Of the vegetable clan, hot red peppers contribute the most niacin along with rice, various seeds, and wheat. Fresh green peas and different beans are also high on the niacin list. Low on the list are shallots and parsnips, but they’re still tasty.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) was made popular by Dr. Linus Pauling and Anita Bryant. Peppers, both hot and sweet, are high on the vitamin C register along with parsley, kale and other leafy brassicas – a good reason to grow Japanese red mustard. Because of its antioxidants, vitamin C protects against bad free radicals which are up to no good. Our bodies need ascorbic acid to create blood vessels, muscles, and other things we like having, such as bones. Spinach and chicory are also C-bearers.
High on the list for vitamin A is – guess what? – hot red peppers. Vitamin A helps to maintain healthy vision, immune system, lungs, and protects your organs. Carotenoids are pigments which make vegetables yellow, red or orange, and our bodies converts these into vitamin A. You already knew that. Carrots, kale, collards and chard are excellent sources of vitamin A, but you already knew that.
Riboflavin is a fun word. Also known as vitamin B2, it helps us metabolize food to create energy by breaking down cheese and fat and stuff like that. Again, hot red peppers top the list followed by turnip greens, collards and okra. Beet greens and other leafy brassicas also make the list. Your grandmother told you years ago to eat your greens, but you never suspected she was a trained nutrition specialist.
Greens and dehydrated hot peppers, however, are only a mediocre source of thiamine (vitamin B1). Sunflower seeds, beans, peas and peanuts crowd the top thiamine row, and our bodies do not retain thiamine well, so we need a new supply often. It is on the World Health Organization’s list of essential nutrients. Garlic eaten regularly helps, but legumes and whole grains are the way down thiamine avenue.
Studies show adolescents and, in general, women need more calcium than adult men, and our bodies don’t produce it. We have to eat or drink it somehow. Calcium contributes to bone health, but it also important to keeping our hearts and nervous systems functioning properly. We want our hearts to beat as one, so thanks, calcium. Collards and kale got calcium. Parsley, garbanzos and horseradish can help, as will Malabar spinach, broccoli and purslane.
Potassium, magnesium and iron, like vitamins mentioned before, are important elements in making all parts of the body run smoothly, and reports show they contribute to decreased risk of evil bad diseases. The lists for what foods contribute these elements and others is similar – eat your fresh greens, whole grains, fruits and avoid over-processed foods.
A surfeit of experts is ready to tell you what to eat. If you’re an expert, then you’re set. If not, survey the scene, eat your beans, greens, apples, walnuts and peppers… and sing “Imagine.” You’re a winner!