Vegetable - Nutritional Properties

Generality

As for the etymology of the noun, vegetables it means: "green color of the vegetation". On the other hand, in spoken language, by vegetable s" means more than anything else a set of foods of vegetable origin, whose color - opposite to what could be deduced - is NOT ONLY green.

In summary, the word vegetable translates for the collective name of all edible herbs.
Vegetable is synonymous with vegetable, even if the two nouns can be diversified according to the level / technique of production: "vegetables" those grown in the "garden and" vegetables "those obtained on a large scale; based on this criterion, vegetables and vegetables also differ in the length / duration of the commercial chain. For further details see the article: Vegetables: definition and properties.

From a nutritional point of view, vegetables are between the VI and VII food groups, although many also consider certain legumes and potatoes as vegetables (instead typical of the III and IV groups).

Types of Vegetables

The vegetables par excellence are those of green color, that is most of the leaves, flowers, bulbs and edible stems. However, certain fruits, roots and ("forcing" the definition) certain seeds and tubers can also be included in the same set. Let's see them in more detail:

• Leafy vegetables: the best known examples are: lettuce, radicchio (red, green, variegated), other chicory, chard (or chard), turnip leaves, rocket, parsley, basil (and other aromatic herbs), soncino, dandelion, spinach, cap , borage, leek, watercress, etc.
• Flowering vegetables: it is little known but widely used; this means that most consumers buy it even if, in reality, they don't know it is flowers! Those of pumpkin and courgette are evident, while others are more difficult to recognize: artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli di rapa (turnip greens) etc.
• Stem vegetables: it tends to be green or white, according to the cultivation technique. Leaving them exposed to sunlight, the stems synthesize chlorophyll and turn green; on the contrary, by covering them (or leaving them buried) they remain clear. Some examples are: celery, celeriac, fennel * 1, milk thistle etc.
• Bulb vegetables: it is often neglected but it is among the most consumed vegetable products in the kitchen. These are: onion, garlic, fennel * 1, shallot, etc.
• Root vegetables: it is quite easy to recognize; it has quite different colors and chemical characteristics. Some examples are: carrots, radishes, sweet potatoes (tuberous roots) * 2, turnips, parsnips, horseradish, ginger, daikon etc.
• Tuber vegetables: differentiated from the previous category especially for the nutritional characteristics, according to which it should not be considered a real vegetable! It is mainly made up of: potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, American potatoes (tuberous root) * 2.
• Seed and pod vegetables: the seed one is mainly composed of legumes; similarly to tubers, these are foods whose relevance in the group of vegetables could be questionable. Some examples are: chickpeas, lentils, lupins, soy, beans, broad beans, etc. As far as cereals are concerned, these are generally not included among vegetables even if, like legumes, their edible part is composed of seeds. The pod vegetable is decidedly more pertinent; the two most indicative examples are snow peas and green beans.
  
• Fruit vegetables (drupes, berries, hesperides, apples): unlike those mentioned so far, this type of vegetable is uniquely accepted, even if it can present many different colors. Some examples are: tomato, cucumber, courgette, pumpkin, eggplant, pepper, etc.

Nutritional Characteristics and Properties

Excluding seeds and tubers, the vegetable shows quite overlapping nutritional characteristics. Some differences may affect the amount of sugars and total calories, but generally the various products do not differ too much from 20-30kcal / 100g
Excluding seeds and tubers, vegetables share a series of rather defined chemical-nutritional characteristics; these are:

1. Plenty of water: the vegetable contains up to 95% liquid. Consuming a good quantity of vegetables helps to avoid the onset of bodily dehydration and malfunctioning of the organism (hypovolemia, lithiasis, hypotension, poor physical-athletic performance, etc.).
2. Abundance of dietary fiber: vegetables, such as legumes, cereals and mushrooms, contain dietary fiber. This component positively affects the motility of the intestine, the purification of the colon and the trophism of the physiological bacterial flora; moreover, it modulates food absorption.
3. Low energy intake: obviously, in such a large group, the energy intake of the extremes is quite different. Generally (excluding seeds and tubers) in the diet, vegetables play an almost marginal energy role, ie around 5% of energy total. The calories of the vegetables are made above all by simple carbohydrates, that is fructose; proteins (of low biological value) and fats (mainly unsaturated, most of which essential polyunsaturated) play a marginal role.
4. Vitamin and saline richness: the vegetable contains excellent doses of certain vitamins, especially A, C, E, K and folic acid. The same can be said for mineral salts, among which mainly stand out: potassium, magnesium, zinc and selenium. There is no lack of iron and calcium but, on the other hand, they are essentially present in a poorly bioavailable form.
5. Presence of other nutritional molecules useful for maintaining health: certain NON-essential but extremely healthy molecules are also contained in vegetables, which help to keep cholesterol levels low and to counteract oxidative stress. Among these we mention: phytosterols, lecithins and phenolic substances.
6. Presence of anti-nutritional molecules: if on the one hand the vegetable is extremely nutritious, on the other it participates (to varying degrees based on the importance of the portions consumed) in reducing the absorption of certain nutrients. This is the case with acid. phytic, oxalic acid and tannins.

We conclude by recalling that the vegetable must be consumed both in raw and cooked form. The former fully maintains its nutritional characteristics and is NOT subjected to oxidative, thermal or dispersive curtailments; however, it contains greater quantities of both anti-nutritional molecules and The cooked form, on the other hand, allows you to consume larger portions, albeit less nutritious, but with the advantage of introducing much more fiber.

Watch our video recipes dedicated to vegetables and salads

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