THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 12, 1995 TAG: 9503130173
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G11 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: WEEDER'S DIGEST
SOURCE: BY ROBERT STIFFLER, GARDENING COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
WHETHER YOU realize it, if you grow your own garden vegetables, you've established your own health-food supply.
Studies show that fresh-grown vegetables are much higher in vitamins and minerals than store-bought produce. Part of the reason is that nutritional content declines over time. Pick your produce from the garden just before you use it, and the vegetables will have higher levels of nutrients.
Take the tomato, for instance. If you've paid 40 or 50 cents for one in a store in the last few weeks, you know how they lack taste. But the National Garden Bureau says they also lack vitamins. A fresh-picked, vine-ripened tomato can have up to three times more vitamin C than a supermarket tomato, depending on how it was grown, the bureau reports.
``The fresher the better'' really is true.
With much of the world worried about pesticide contamination, another advantage of growing your own vegetables is knowing which pesticides, if any, have been applied to what you're eating. When produce comes from your garden, you know exactly what has been used to control pests or diseases.
Always pick your vegetables just before using them, and refrigerate any leftovers right away. At room temperature, vegetables lose up to 50 percent of their vitamin C content after 24 hours. Refrigeration slows that loss to about 10 percent over a 10-day period.
Health experts (and mothers) continually remind us to eat lots of fresh vegetables. That often means we have to get them at the supermarket. But during the summer, home gardens can produce fresh-picked vegetables that provide much higher and healthier nutrient levels.
Even herbs can contribute nutrients to the diet. For example, parsley, which is extremely easy to grow in this area and often reseeds itself and comes back year after year, is rich in numerous vitamins and minerals, according to the National Garden Bureau.
So if you want to eat your way to better health this summer, it's time to till a plot and get ready to plant a vegetable garden. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
SOURCES FOR VITAMINS AND MINERALS
The National Garden Bureau lists the nutritional values of some
commonly grown vegetables. For each vitamin or mineral named, the
vegetables are listed in order of highest to lowest content. Note
that there is a nutritional difference among types of some
vegetables, such as lettuce and peppers.
Calcium: For strong bones and maintaining blood pH balance.
Sources: parsley, broccoli, loose-leaf lettuce, green beans,
cauliflower.
Copper: For elasticity of blood vessels, strength of connective
tissues, health of cardiovascular system. Sources: most vegetables,
if grown in a properly mineralized soil.
Iron: Carries oxygen to cells. Sources: parsley, spinach,
butter-head lettuce and loose-leaf lettuce, green peas, broccoli,
green beans, tomatoes.
Magnesium: Essential for nervous system. Sources: spinach, beet
greens, broccoli, parsley, summer squash, cucumber, green beans,
loose-leaf lettuce, tomatoes, sweet peppers.
Manganese: Needed to metabolize proteins and fats. Sources:
beans, peas, lentils.
Potassium: Maintains proper fluid level in cells. Sources:
spinach, Romaine lettuce, parsley, zucchini, radishes, loose-leaf
lettuce, cauliflower, winter and summer squash, tomatoes, cucumber,
eggplant, green beans, sweet pepper, broccoli.
Vitamin A: Anti-oxidant, strengthens immune system. Sources:
carrots, spinach, red sweet pepper, butternut squash, Romaine
lettuce, parsley, loose-leaf lettuce, green pepper, zucchini.
Vitamin C: Anti-oxidant, protects against cancer and
cardiovascular disease, strengthens immune functions. Sources: Red
sweet pepper, green pepper, parsley, cauliflower, broccoli, Romaine
lettuce, Brussel sprouts, spinach, tomatoes, watermelon, green
beans.
Zinc: For DNA synthesis, cell divisions, growth, healing.
Sources: spinach, parsley, Romaine lettuce, summer squash,
loose-leaf lettuce and beans.
by CNB