It seems as if it would be somewhat devastating to consistently be the last kid chosen for a team at recess. Sure these kids weren’t the most athletic, but perhaps they had some other talent… like art or science.
The point of the story is that everyone and everything has some type of value to it, which brings me to today’s post: Light colored vegetables have been labeled the fat kids of the playground.
They too are often overlooked and unappreciated. They are tossed aside while ‘better’ foods such as Romaine lettuce, spinach, or carrots are chosen.
“But there’s nothing in there. It’s just cellulose and water.”
I cannot count how many times people have said nonsense like this to me. I know someone who actually picks iceberg lettuce out of their salad!
Who thinks this way? It is completely logical to me: Celery, iceberg lettuce, and other light green vegetables would not exist if they had no purpose.
Let me start off with saying that celery is a good source of fiber and a great low calorie snack. In addition to that, it has trace amounts of quite a few nutrients and contains a high amount of vitamin K.
Celery has shown to have antiviral and antimicrobial benefits. This is especially beneficial because there have been several bacterial infections associated with the risk of certain cancers, and viruses are now recognized as one of the leading causes of cancer.
Celery also contains lutein, which is a caratenoid. Studies show that high amounts of dietary lutein is correlated with reduced risk of colon cancer. Other foods that contain lutein include spinach, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, oranges, carrots, and greens. Lutein is also necessary for optimal eye sight.
Flavones; yet another wonderful thing found in celery. “The only important edible sources of flavones identified to date are parsley and celery.” Flavones show beneficial effects against atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus and certain cancers.
So the next time someone nay says you for eating celery, you can just smile because you know you’re going to live longer than them.
Now onto iceberg lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is another good source of vitamin K. In fact, women who consumed lettuce (iceberg or Romaine) one or more times per day had a 45% lower risk of hip fracture than women who consumed lettuce one or fewer times per week.
Interestingly enough, iceberg lettuce has a higher antioxidant content than green leaf Romaine lettuce! Iceberg lettuce is also a good source of polyphenols.
Interestingly enough, iceberg lettuce has a higher antioxidant content than green leaf Romaine lettuce! Iceberg lettuce is also a good source of polyphenols.
Furthermore, iceberg lettuce is incredibly high in choline. Choline is a micronutrient that helps with cell structure and function. It is a dietary source of methyl groups, which is important for cell replication. Choline is also needed for neural function as well as lipid transport and metabolism.
Spinach and Romaine lettuce may have a higher amount of nutrients that iceberg lettuce, but it doesn’t necessarily make them better, they’re just different. The point is getting a variety. Eating mostly spinach and romaine is great, but it certainly isn’t going to hurt you to throw some iceberg lettuce in there, in fact, it might even help.
So next time you get a sandwich with iceberg lettuce, instead of disdainfully saying, “Psh, there’s nothing even in this,” you should say, “I’m lucky that there’s lettuce in this sandwich! It’s good for me and it’s definitely better than no lettuce!”
References
Alan Crozier, Michael E. J. Lean,, Morag S. McDonald, and, Christine Black Quantitative Analysis of the Flavonoid Content of Commercial Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, and Celery. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 1997 45 (3), 590-595
Alan Crozier, Michael E. J. Lean,, Morag S. McDonald, and, Christine Black Quantitative Analysis of the Flavonoid Content of Commercial Tomatoes, Onions, Lettuce, and Celery. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 1997 45 (3), 590-595
Feskanich,, Diane, and Peter Weber. "Vitamin K intake and hip fractures in women: a prospective study." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 69.1 (1999): 74-79. Web. 13 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/69/1/74?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=iceberg+lettuce&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Halvorsen, Bente, and Monica Carlsen. "Content of redox-active compounds (ie, antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 84.1 (2006): 95-135. Web. 13 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/84/1/95?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=iceberg+lettuce+antioxidants&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Lampe, Johanna . "Spicing up a vegetarian diet: chemopreventive effects of phytochemicals." American Society for Clinical Nutrition 78.3 (2003): 579S-583S. Web. 12 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/78/3/579S?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=celery+benefits&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Llorach, Rafael, and Francisco Tomás-Barberán. "Lettuce and Chicory Byproducts as a Source of Antioxidant Phenolic Extracts." J. Agric. Food Chem 52.16 (2004): 5109–5116. Web. 13 Jul 2010. http://0-pubs.acs.org.catalog.llu.edu/doi/full/10.1021/jf040055a.
Manach,, Claudine. "Polyphenols: food sources and bioavailability." American Society for Clinical Nutrition 79.5 (2004): 727-747. Web. 12 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/79/5/727?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=celery+benefits&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=10&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Slattery, Martha, and Joan Bensen. "Carotenoids and colon cancer." American Society for Clinical Nutrition 71 (2000): 575–82. Web. 12 Jul 2010. http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/71/2/575?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=celery+benefits&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=10&resourcetype=HWCIT.
Wikipedia Pages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavone#cite_note-1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavone#cite_note-1
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