HEALTH FOOD SPECIAL................. Superhero veggies that can fight cancer

Superhero veggies that can fight cancer





10 vegetables, including cabbage, dominate the power list

Watercress, Chinese cabbage, chard and beet greens are among the most nutrient-dense “powerhouse“ veg etables, packing a huge dose of vitamins and minerals into every calorie, a new study reports.

At the same time, don't expect to receive high amount of nutrition from raspberries, tangerines, garlic or onions, the findings suggest.

National nutrition guidelines emphasise on con sumption of powerhouse fruits and vegetables, which are strongly associated with reduced risk of chronic disease. But until now, the study author noted, nutritional value of veggies hasn't been ranked in a way that would show which best qualify as nutrient-dense powerhouse foods. For the report, Jennifer Di Noia, an associate professor of sociology at William Paterson University crafted a list based on the nutritional density of fruits and vegetables. “Higher ranking foods provide more nutrients per calories,“ Di Noia said. “The scores may help focus consumers on their daily energy needs, and how best to get the most nutrients from their foods. The rankings provide clarity on the nutrient quality of the different foods and may aid in the selection of more nutrient-dense items within the powerhouse group.“

Di Noia calculated the nutrition contained in 47 fruits and veggies, finding that all but six met the criteria as a powerhouse food.

Cruciferous and dark green leafy vegetables dominate the top 10. They are, in order, watercress, Chinese cabbage, chard and beet greens, followed by spinach, chicory, leaf lettuce, pars ley, romaine lettuce and collard greens.

All the top vegetables contain high levels of B vi tamins, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, riboflavin, niacin and folate -nutrients that help protect people against cancer and heart disease, the re searcher noted.

These leafy vegetables taking the top power house spots “makes sense“, said Lauri Wright, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“They have a lot of the B-vitamins and a lot of fibre in the leaves,“ said Wright. People who chop off the leafy part of vegetables such as celery, carrots or beets are “actually cutting away some very good nutrients,“ added Wright.

The six fruits and vegetables that didn't make the list as powerhouse foods are raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, onions and blueberries. While all contain vitamins and minerals, they are not densely packed with important nutrients, the study said.

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Folks will get good nutrition from the powerhouse veggies whether they eat them raw or cook them, as long as they don't boil them, Wright said -New York Times Don't expect high nutrition from tangerines, raspberries, garlics or onions, research says 

New York Times ETP140611