Cabbage, White Button Mushrooms, Cauliflower -- Do They Have Nutritional Value?
by Charles Stuart Platkin
Monday, 19 May 2008
Broccoli, spinach and peppers are among the more "famous" vegetables, but there are lots of others out there, too. Just because they're less well known doesn't mean they don't have value. Do all vegetables offer nutritional value? I wondered, so I asked a few nutrition experts - the responses may surprise you. This is part of a continuing series to keep you informed about the benefits of the "not-so-famous" vegetables.
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Cabbage
Value: Cabbage is a member of the cruciferous family, which includes broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale and bok choy. "Like broccoli and other members of this family, cabbage is full of nutrients and has cancer-fighting capabilities," says Lanah J. Brennan, R.D., a Los Angeles private practice dietitian. Cabbage is a good source of potassium, fiber, folate, B vitamins and vitamin A.
Nutrients: One cup of chopped cabbage contains 32.6 milligrams vitamin C (54.3 percent of your daily value), 151 milligrams potassium (4 percent), 38 micrograms folate (10 percent) and 67.6 micrograms vitamin K (80 percent). Cabbage also contains almost 9 percent of the daily recommended amount of dietary fiber.
Health Perks: "Green cabbage is a top source of 'indirect antioxidants' called glucosinolates. These are phytonutrients that remove free radicals from the body by stimulating the body's own natural antioxidant systems. This cascade of antioxidant activity - unlike the one-shot, finite amount you get from most direct antioxidants - actually cycles over and over within the physiology, continuing to protect your system for as many as three to four days after the cabbage has been consumed," says Nicholas D. Gillitt, Ph.D., nutrition researcher at Dole Nutrition Institute. When cabbage is sliced or chewed, phytochemicals called indoles and isothiocyanates are also released.
Purchasing: Cabbage is in season during the fall and winter. Look for heads that are colorful and firm. Check the stem to make sure it's not dried out. Avoid cabbages that are cracked or bruised. To get the most vitamin C, buy whole cabbage heads instead of those that are precut, says Brennan.
Choose the heaviest heads, because cabbage that feels light likely has lost a lot of moisture. The head of cabbage should not have blemishes or withered leaves, says Molly Morgan, R.D., of Creative Nutrition Solutions in Vestal, N.Y.
Storage: An uncut head of cabbage should last about a week in your refrigerator, but it's best eaten as soon as possible after you buy it. Store it in a plastic bag to help maintain freshness, says Morgan.
White Button Mushrooms
Value: The variety most commonly found in the produce section of supermarkets, white button mushrooms are low-calorie, inexpensive and have a low energy density - so you get filled up with fewer calories. Also, these mushrooms are known to have antioxidant benefits similar to those of fancier mushrooms. They are a great source of vegetable protein and antioxidants, says Brennan. Oh, and they're a fungus, not a vegetable.
Nutrients: (five medium) 362mg vitamin B2 (riboflavin) (21 percent of your daily value), 3.3mg vitamin B3 (niacin) (16 percent) and vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) (13.5 percent), 0.286mg copper (14.3 percent), 8.4mcg selenium (10 percent), 286mcg potassium (8 percent), 77mg phosphorous (8 percent) and 4.5mg iron (2.5 percent).
Health Perks: Mushrooms are a good source of three important B vitamins that help convert food to energy and promote healthy skin, hair, muscles and brain function. They also supply a good source of selenium, a trace element that functions as an antioxidant in the enzyme glutathione peroxidase. This important enzyme is present in all cells and helps neutralize the free radicals - unstable oxygen molecules - produced by normal cellular processes. Once used, the enzyme needs riboflavin - also found in mushrooms - to regenerate into its active form. Thus, everything you need to help this particular antioxidant enzyme system function optimally is supplied in mushrooms. Selenium is also needed for proper functioning of the thyroid gland and may play a role in fertility, especially for men. In addition, research suggests that selenium may reduce the risk of lung, liver and prostate cancers. Inadequate selenium has been associated with impaired immune function, says Gillitt.
Purchasing: Select mushrooms that are firm and white, not browning or broken, says Brennan. Also, look for caps that are closed on the bottom, as they tend to be fresher.
Storage: Brush off dirt with a soft vegetable brush. Do not rinse or soak mushrooms, as this may cause them to become soggy. Store them in a paper bag or vented container to allow air flow. Mushrooms will keep for about three days in the refrigerator, says Brennan.
Cauliflower
Value: Just because it's not a bright green vegetable doesn't mean it has no nutritional value.
Health Perks: Like cabbage, cauliflower is a top source of the "indirect" antioxidants known as glucosinolates. Additionally, the high amounts of vitamin C are healthy for the skin and the immune system. Lastly, "Diets rich in potassium (which lowers blood pressure), fiber (which reduces cholesterol), vitamin C (which prevents oxidation of LDL 'bad' cholesterol) and vitamin B6 (which reduces homocysteine levels) are associated with maintaining a healthy heart," adds Gillitt.
Purchasing: Look for firm, white, clean tops. Avoid brown spots and soft heads.
Storage: Cauliflower will keep for up to five days if stored in the crisper section of the refrigerator. If the head is not purchased wrapped, store it in an open or perforated plastic bag. Keep it stem-side up to prevent moisture from collecting on it.
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CHARLES STUART PLATKIN is a nutrition and public health advocate, founder and editor of DietDetective.com, the health and fitness network and author of The Diet Detective's Calorie Bargain Bible (Simon & Schuster, 2007). Copyright 2008 by Charles Stuart Platkin. All rights reserved. Sign up for the free Diet Detective newsletter and iTunes podcast at www.DietDetective.com
A town near where I live has decided that kids should start walking to school. Houses are close together, there are sidewalks, school crossing guards and now walking (not car) pools. Neighborhood Moms organize themselves into morning and afternoon walkers, taking turns escorting a group of neighborhood children to school. Everyone seems happy. The town officials are gleeful at the money saved by not using buses, the moms are busy telling their offspring how they, the parents, walked miles in blizzards uphill to get to school, and the school nurse is sure the kids will become more fit. And the kids will learn the joys of kicking piles of leaves, stomping through puddles, and throwing snowballs on the way to and from school.
On October 1st, 2008, the Ford Model-T turned 100-years-old. Back in 1908, the year my grandmother was born, this "universal car" as Henry Ford called it, became the first mass-produced car and the symbol of low-cost reliable transportation. But more important than it's centenial, the Model T got 13-21 MPG (max speed 45 MPH), and it was the first flexible-fuel vehicle, running on gas, ethanol or both. According to Model T collector Stu Chaney of the Model T Ford Club of America who appeared on the The CBS Satuday Early Show, "It will run on moonshine, gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel-- about anything you can put a match to. And, whatever it runs on, it would pass today's very strict emission standards, because it burns the complete charge in the combustion."
The term "Yo-Yo Dieting" was coined by Dr. Kelly Brownell at
Yale
University
in reference to the cyclical up-down motion of a yo-yo with regards to body weight. The dieter is initially successful in the pursuit of weight loss but is unsuccessful in maintaining the loss for the long-term. The dieter then seeks to lose the regained weight, and the cycle begins again.
I am no stranger to the phenomenon. At 13, prior to my Bar Mitzvah, I lost 23 pounds in 21 days to fit into my suit. I gained 40 pounds within the following two weeks.
Dawn Jackson Blatner RD, LDN, is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian. Dawn passionately believes in using the power of food to prevent and manage illness and maintain optimal health. She helps people make realistic and gradual changes to their current eating habits and food choices. Dawn teaches "Flexitarian Nutrition”, an eating style she developed, which is based on personal preferences and individual lifestyles.
Liz Edmunds’ passion for the importance of family dinnertime led a kitchen-store manager to dub her “the food nanny.” The moniker stuck! Today Liz serves as part teacher, part counselor, part coach for families in need of organizational help and cooking instruction so they can implement a weekly dinner plan in their own homes.
When Liz and her husband, Stephen Edmunds, started having children, Liz set a goal to create a consistent dinnertime with the family, despite her husband’s extensive travels as a pilot, first for the U.S. Air Force and then for Delta Airlines. She began implementing her “theme nights” more than 30 years ago and has been developing and tweaking recipes ever since.
Over the years Liz has shared her theme-night plan with people all over the country, and many have encouraged her to write a book. Some of Liz’s four daughters used the plan in college to cook for their roommates and friends; and now that the daughters are married, they are following the plan with their own families. She is the author of The Food Nanny Rescues Dinner.
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Dawn Jackson Blatner RD, LDN, is a 
Liz Edmunds’ passion for the importance of family dinnertime led a kitchen-store manager to dub her “the food nanny.” The moniker stuck! Today Liz serves as part teacher, part counselor, part coach for families in need of organizational help and cooking instruction so they can implement a weekly dinner plan in their own homes.
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Calorie Bargain: PowerBar Power Coach
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