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The rumors are true. Vegetables don’t really exist. I mean, in botany, anyway.
During the period fruits Although recognized botanically as anything that contains seeds, vegetable is actually a broad term that encompasses many types of edible plants.
You might think you know what carrots and beets are. Carrots, beets, and other vegetables that grow in soil are actually the true roots of plants. Lettuce and spinach are leaves, celery and asparagus are stems, and green plants like broccoli, artichokes and cauliflower are immature flowers, said Steve Reiners, a professor of horticulture at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Reiners added that while there is much debate about flower-based crops such as peppers and tomatoes, these crops are botanically classified as fruits. Cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplants, and avocados are also classified as fruits due to their anatomical structure. European Food Information Council.
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Vegetables are divided into the roots, stems, leaves, and flowers of edible plants.
When it comes to botany, the term vegetable has no clear definition. however, gardeningIn the science of growing horticultural crops, vegetables are defined as herbaceous plants, i.e. succulents that complete their life cycle during the growing season, some of which are “eaten cooked or raw as the main part of a meal, and as a snack or dessert.” It’s not like that,” Reiners said.
legal definition The distinction between vegetables and fruits is, at least in the United States, 19th Century US Supreme Court The incident that led to the conclusion that tomatoes are vegetables.
Vegetables are actually just the roots, stems, and leaves of plants, but experts do not recommend eating just the roots, stems, and leaves.
One example is rhubarb. Reiners said the fleshy stem is the edible part of the plant, but the leaves are poisonous. Stay safe by eating plants commonly referred to as vegetables at the grocery store.
“We know that (vegetables) are good for health. We know their vitamin content, we know their mineral content,” Reiners said. “We know how much fiber is in that whole product.
“We also know that the vegetables you grow and buy at farmers markets and grocery stores are safe to eat,” he says.
Shelly Stastny, a registered dietitian and professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences at North Dakota State University, says understanding the different parts of vegetables and the nutrients they contain can help people eat better. It seems that you can.
Stastny says that while broccoli heads are a great source of nutrients, broccoli stalks, which are often discarded, are also high in fiber and nutrients. Regularly consume flowery produce such as broccoli and cauliflower It has been shown to be associated with a lower risk of cancer, she added.
“Heart disease Still the number one killer “In the United States, we know that eating enough fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of heart disease, which in turn increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, and all other chronic diseases,” Stastny said.
She added that it’s important to eat a variety of vegetables because each vegetable contains different beneficial nutrients. Dark leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale are good sources of certain phytonutrients, natural nutrients from plants that are beneficial to human health and help maintain sharp eye vision, and carrots improve night vision. Helps strengthen.
“If you think of the richest, darkest, most colorful vegetables, that’s where you’ll find them (nutrients),” Stastny said, adding that potassium-rich vegetables and fruits like potatoes, squash, and squash said it could help improve health. Lower and maintain blood pressure.
For parents looking to get young children to eat fruits and vegetables, analyzing plant structure while explaining color, flavor, and texture is a fun way to introduce nutrient-dense foods to early explorers. It can be an educational method.
“Start young,” Stastny says. “If you feed your children vegetables from an early age, they’re more likely to eat vegetables throughout their lives, reducing their risk of chronic disease.”
