6 Vegetables That Might Save Your Life

[TampaYankee]

6 Vegetables That Might Save Your Life

Posted:

08/24/2014 12:10 pm EDT

Updated:

08/25/2014 1:59 pm EDT

By Timothy Gower for Men's Journal

If there's one food that no one -- not your doctor, your nutritionist or even your mother -- will tell you to eat less of, it's leafy greens. Calorie for calorie, chard, collards, kale and other leafy greens may just be the most nutritious food you can eat. They're packed with vitamins -- A, B, K and others -- but also rich in essential minerals like calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium, as well as antioxidants, which protect cells against damage. Leafy greens contain phytochemicals, natural compounds that can help prevent hardening of the arteries and lower inflammation linked to heart disease. The greens' synergistic combination of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals helps detox cells and expunge free radicals that damage DNA, both of which may inhibit cancer cells from forming and multiplying.

Greens are also your single best source of natural nitrates, which get converted by the body into nitric oxide, a gas that lowers blood pressure, promotes blood flow and can even improve sexual function in men. You produce less nitric oxide as you age -- levels can dip by half after age 40 -- which means you need to eat even more nitrates to keep everything working properly, says University of Texas biochemist Nathan Bryan. As if that weren't enough, greens have been shown to boost mental clarity, prevent depression and reduce the risk of diseases like Alzheimer's. If you're looking to stay lean, high-fiber greens help speed digestion and make you feel full, and they're low in carbohydrates and calories, so you can practically eat as much of them as you want. At the very least, aim to consume three to five ounces of leafy greens a day, says Bryan. Here's how to get your fill.

See the list and this complete article at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/24/healthiest-leafy-green-vegetables_n_5697698.html

[AdamSmith]

Great article. I eat industrial quantities of collard greens and turnip greens. This reminds me to add kale to the rotation.

[TampaYankee]

I've eaten collards and mustard greens from time to time. Mustard is my favorite but they can be hot has hell and wreak havoc with your GI system. Good laxative if you are in need. Collards are easier to come buy and prepare. Mustard tends to hold on to sand and soil more, like spinach leaves. It's all good with a ham hock. I didn't have that view as a kid.

[lookin]

Great article. I eat industrial quantities of collard greens and turnip greens. This reminds me to add kale to the rotation.

AdamSmith's kale arrives, just in time for dinner.

[RA1]

Is that 3 or 5 ounces of kale?

Best regards,

RA1

[Suckrates]

If only all this leaf shit would fill you up...... I NEVER feel full eatting a salad, and as a side dish, leafy stuff is just Fluff....

I usually like to shred brussel spouts and saute them in oil and garlic, add dried cranberries and douse with balsamic. Its yummy, and has a bit more bulk.

But still, a good heaping of home made Stuffing sure beats a leafy dish, but aint kind to the waistline. However at this age, everything just settles in the belly anyway, so fuck it !

[MsGuy]

Eat the turnips, not just the leaves.

That will fill you up.

[AdamSmith]

Eat the turnips, not just the leaves.

That will fill you up.

Besides having loads more flavor than potatoes, turnips are said by the anti-carb folk to be a lot better on that score as well.

It is a little fussy but if you don't like 'em just steamed and buttered, a nice way to fix turnips is to peel and quarter them, then shape the quarters into lozenges (i.e., shaped like large grapes). Blanch til tender, then sauté in butter and a bit of oil til browned. Fit to serve the preacher!

That is for purple-top turnips, of course, not rutabagas, which I was scandalized to hear referred to as turnips on first coming to New England. True turnips are a delicate, fairly fast-cooking root compared with rutabaga, which I eventually came to appreciate but long considered scarcely more than a bocce ball masquerading as food.

[MsGuy]

I'm told that in most parts of the world, rutabaga is considered animal fodder. Still, those New Englanders are a hard scrabble lot, so...

Lots of Irish up there too and you know what they're like.

[MsGuy]

Actually oven roasted root vegetables make a pretty good side dish. Easy to fix, cheap and tasty too.

Oil up a pan, chunk up & lightly oil veggies , salt and pepper to taste, pop into medium hot oven and roast until knife soft. Sprinkle with herb of choice.

Obviously, quicker cooking stuff should bet cut into larger chunks. Maybe with tougher things like rutabaga and celery root you might try giving it a 3 minute head start in the microwave.

[RA1]

You never know about local cuisine. Years ago I was roped into cooking fish for what turned out to be 23 folks in a bar in Kansas. They emptied a freezer and I cooked the fish + corn bread and black eyed peas. No one there had ever eaten black eyed peas before and they were slow to try them but ate all I cooked as well as all the fish and corn bread.

I was tired when it was over but I don't know who came out ahead because they plied me with drinks the whole time I was cooking.

Best regards,

RA1

[MsGuy]

PS I forgot to say rotate the pan about 1/2 way thru and flip the veggies to ensure even browning.

Sorry about that.

PPS Use aluminium foil on pan to save a lot of scrubbing afterwards.

[AdamSmith]

Indeed the key to oven cooking without ensuing agony at the sink.

This pic in fact will make a great front-jacket image for my parody volume Guns, Germs, and Foil (author Jared Zircon).

[AdamSmith]

Still, those New Englanders are a hard scrabble lot, so...

P.S. Part of this is of course conditioned by what few rough foods can be coaxed to grow in the thin layer of gravel and rock that passes for soil in much of the region.

[TampaYankee]

Eat the turnips, not just the leaves.

That will fill you up.

Never cared for turnips -- roots or greens. yuck!! I find them very strong tasting. My parents and grandparents loved them. Guess that gene got lost in the hand-off. <shrug>

My mother loved rutabagas. Guess it was acquired thru her Michigan heritage. Also referred to as the Canadian turnip. I finally tried them in middle age. Not bad at all. A milder slight turnip taste.

It is easier to split a green oak log than it is to cut a rutabaga . Best be careful or lose a finger.

[AdamSmith]

It is easier to split a green oak log than it is to cut a rutabaga . Best be careful or lose a finger.

ROFL I almost posted exactly that: Expect to gash yourself trying to peel them, and only real way to cut them up is with a hydraulic firewood-splitter!

[AdamSmith]

Q: What is the difference between rutabagas and snot?

A: Children will eat their snot!

[AdamSmith]

rutabaga

looks like a potato, tastes like ass

Mike ate some ass, it tasted like rutabagas.

urbandictionary.com

[AdamSmith]

"I always like discovering new webcomics to read (and keep up with) and one that I was recently introduced to was Rutabaga the Adventure Chef. I can't remember who introduced me to it, but whoever it was thank you! Because this is one webcomic that Ive really enjoyed reading and has a rather unique characters, awesome story lines, and a sense of humor that you probably wont find in too many other places. I had the chance to meet Eric at TCAF and was absolutely thrilled that he has a print collection of this comic that I could take with me to enjoy. Plus it has bonus features! I'm really happy to have the chance to review this comic for y'all

"What is an adventure chef you might ask? Well think of your typical hero/warrior that goes out to make a name for himself and encounters magic and adventure and perhaps some good friends and probably bad (or at least edible) food along the way. And youre kinda of on the right track. But with some exceptions. First of all our hero, Rutabaga, is a young chef who wants to explore the world and find all manner of unique creations and concoctions to cook with and make. He'll travel to the deepest parts of the jungle to find mushrooms that only grow on ancient powerful artifacts. He'll make soup out of kings head squash and he'll travel with his trusty companion pot (a walking magical pot of course!) And since Rutabaga is a serious chef he can make a dish out of just about anything. And thats where the second twist comes in to the story as we get to find out just what he can make. Even better we get little recipes to see what hes doing! Granted we cant really follow along, because we dont have access to the same ingredients, butif we did we could cook along with him..."

http://www.comicsforge.com/2012/06/rutabaga-adventure-chef/

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

[AdamSmith]

[RA1]

The mention of cutting a finger off reminded me of the perils of shucking oysters. I still remember going to my first oyster fest where friends had bought several dozen oysters from Louisiana and I was invited to eat some. Even though the shuckers were wearing rubber gloves, they still managed to cut their hands more than once. The oysters were fresh and delicious but I hated the injuries and still remember them. Delicious, but I still prefer to have professionals shuck.

Best regards.

RA1