Healthy Vegitables

                                              

Vegetable

"Veggie" redirects here. For the diet which only contains plants, see Veganism. For other uses, see Vegetable (disambiguation).

Vegetables in a market in the Philippines

In everyday usage, a vegetable is any part of a plant that is consumed by humans as food as part of a savory meal. The term vegetable is somewhat arbitrary, and largely defined through culinary and cultural tradition. It normally excludes other food derived from plants such as fruits, nuts, and cereal  grains, but includes seeds such as pulses. The original meaning of the word vegetable, still used in biology, was to describe all types of plant, as in the terms "vegetable kingdom" and "vegetable matter".
Originally, vegetables were collected from the wild by hunter-gatherers and entered cultivation in several parts of the world, probably during the period 10,000 BC to 7,000 BC, when a new agricultural way of life developed. At first, plants which grew locally would have been cultivated, but as time went on, trade brought exotic crops from elsewhere to add to domestic types. Nowadays, most vegetables are grown all over the world as climate permits, and crops may be cultivated in protected environments in less suitable locations. China is the largest producer of vegetables, and global trade in agricultural products allows consumers to purchase vegetables grown in faraway countries. The scale of production varies from subsistence farmer supplying the needs of their family for food, to agribusinesses with vast acreages of single-product crops. Depending on the type of vegetable concerned, harvesting the crop is followed by grading, storing, processing and marketing.
Vegetables can be eaten either raw or cooked and play an important role in human nutrition, being mostly low in fat and carbohydrates, but high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. Many nutritionists encourage people to consume plenty of fruit and vegetables, five or more portions a day often being recommended.

 

Etymology

Domestic vegetable garden in the United Kingdom

The word vegetable was first recorded in English in the early 15th century. It comes from Old French,^[1] and was originally applied to all plants; the word is still used in this sense in biological contexts.^[2] It derives from Medieval Latin vegetabilis "growing, flourishing" (i.e. of a plant), a semantic change from a Late Latin meaning "to be enlivening, quickening".^[1]
The meaning of "vegetable" as a "plant grown for food" was not established until the 18th century.^[3] In 1767, the word was specifically used to mean a "plant cultivated for food, an edible herb or root". The year 1955 noted the first use of the shortened, slang term "veggie".^[4]
As an adjective, the word vegetable is used in scientific and technical contexts with a different and much broader meaning, namely of "related to plants" in general, edible or not — as in vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom, vegetable origin, etc.^[2]

Some common vegetables

Some common vegetables
Image	Description	Parts used	Origin	Cultivars	World production (×106 tons, 2012)[17]
	cabbage Brassica oleracea	leaves, axillary buds, stems, flowerheads	Europe	cabbage, red cabbage, Savoy cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, cauliflower, broccoli, Chinese broccoli	70.1
	turnip Brassica rapa	tubers, leaves	Asia	turnip, rutabaga, Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage, bok choy, collard greens
	radish Raphanus sativus	roots, leaves, seed pods, seed oil, sprouting	Southeastern Asia	radish, daikon, seedpod varieties
	carrot Daucus carota	root tubers	Persia	carrot	36.9[n 1]
	parsnip Pastinaca sativa	Root tubers	Eurasia	parsnip
	beetroot Beta vulgaris	tubers, leaves	Europe, Near East and India	beetroot, sea beet, Swiss chard, sugar beet
	lettuce Lactuca sativa	leaves, stems, seed oil	Egypt	lettuce, celtuce	24.9
	beans Phaseolus vulgaris Phaseolus coccineus Phaseolus lunatus	pods, seeds	Central and South America	green bean, French bean, runner bean, haricot bean, Lima bean	44.6[n 2]
	broad beans Vicia faba	pods, seeds	North Africa South and southwest Asia	broad bean
	peas Pisum sativum	pods, seeds, sprouting	Mediterranean and Middle East	pea, snap pea, snow pea, split pea	28.9[n 2]
	potato Solanum tuberosum	root tubers	South America	potato	365.4
	aubergine/eggplant Solanum melongena	fruits	South and East Asia	eggplant (aubergine)	48.4
	tomato Solanum lycopersicum	fruits	South America	tomato, see also list of tomato cultivars	161.8
	cucumber Cucumis sativus	fruits	Southern Asia	cucumber, see also list of cucumber varieties	65.1
	pumpkin/squash Cucurbita spp.	fruits, flowers	Mesoamerica	pumpkin, squash, marrow, zucchini (courgette), gourd	24.6
	onion Allium cepa	bulbs, leaves	Asia	onion, spring onion, scallion, shallot, see also list of onion cultivars	87.2[n 2]
	garlic Allium sativum	bulbs	Asia	garlic	24.8
	leek Allium ampeloprasum	leaf sheaths	Europe and Middle East	leek, elephant garlic	21.7
	pepper Capsicum annuum	fruits	North and South America	pepper, bell pepper, sweet pepper	34.5[n 2]
	spinach Spinacia oleracea	leaves	Central and southwestern Asia	spinach	21.7
	yam Dioscorea spp.	tubers	Tropical Africa	yam	59.5
	sweet potato Ipomoea batatas	tubers, leaves, shoots	Central and South America	sweet potato, see also list of sweet potato cultivars	108.0
	cassava Manihot esculenta	tubers	South America	cassava	269.1

Nutrition and health

Southeast Asian style stir fry ipomoea aquatica in chili and sambal

Vegetables (and some fruit) for sale on a street in Guntur, India

Vegetables play an important role in human nutrition. Most are low in fat and calories but are bulky and filling.^[18] They supply dietary fibre and are important sources of essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Particularly important are the antioxidant vitamins A, C and E. When vegetables are included in the diet, there is found to be a reduction in the incidence of cancer, stroke, cardiovascular disease and other chronic ailments.^[19][20] Research has shown that, compared with individuals who eat less than three servings of fruits and vegetables each day, those that eat more than five servings have an approximately twenty percent lower risk of developing coronary heart disease or stroke.^[21] The nutritional content of vegetables varies considerably; some contain useful amounts of protein though generally they contain little fat,^[22] and varying proportions of vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin K and vitamin B₆, provitamins, dietary minerals and carbohydrates. Vegetables contain a great variety of other phytochemicals (bioactive non-nutrient plant compounds), some of which have been claimed to have antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties.^[23][24]
However, vegetables often also contain toxins and antinutrients which interfere with the absorption of nutrients. These include α-solanine, α-chaconine,^[25] enzyme inhibitors (of cholinesterase, protease, amylase, etc.), cyanide and cyanide precursors, oxalic acid and others.^{[citation needed]} These toxins are natural defenses, used to ward off the insects, predators and fungi that might attack the plant. Some beans contain phytohaemagglutinin, and cassava roots contain cyanogenic glycoside as do bamboo shoots. These toxins can be deactivated by adequate cooking. Green potatoes contain glycoalkaloids and should be avoided.^[26]
Fruit and vegetables, particularly leafy vegetables, have been implicated in nearly half the gastrointestinal infections caused by norovirus in the United States. These foods are commonly eaten raw and may become contaminated during their preparation by an infected food handler. Hygiene is important when handling foods to be eaten raw, and such products need to be properly cleaned, handled and stored to limit contamination.^[27]

Dietary recommendations

The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables daily.^[28] The total amount consumed will vary according to age and gender, and is determined based upon the standard portion sizes typically consumed, as well as general nutritional content. Potatoes are not included in the count as they are mainly providers of starch. For most vegetables and vegetable juices, one serving is half of a cup and can be eaten raw or cooked. For leafy greens, such as lettuce and spinach, a single serving is typically a full cup.^[29] A variety of products should be chosen as no single fruit or vegetable provides all the nutrients needed for health.^[21]
International dietary guidelines are similar to the ones established by the USDA. Japan, for example, recommends the consumption of five to six servings of vegetables daily.^[30] French recommendations provide similar guidelines and set the daily goal at five servings.^[31] In India, the daily recommendation for adults is 275 grams (9.7 oz) of vegetables per day.^[19]

Cultivation

Further information: Kitchen garden and Vegetable farming

Growing vegetables in South Africa

Vegetables have been part of the human diet from time immemorial. Some are staple foods but most are accessory foodstuffs, adding variety to meals with their unique flavors and at the same time, adding nutrients necessary for health. Some vegetables are perennials but most are annuals and biennials, usually harvested within a year of sowing or planting. Whatever system is used for growing crops, cultivation follows a similar pattern; preparation of the soil by loosening it, removing or burying weeds and adding organic manures or fertilisers; sowing seeds or planting young plants; tending the crop while it grows to reduce weed competition, control pests and provide sufficient water; harvesting the crop when it is ready; sorting, storing and marketing the crop or eating it fresh from the ground.^[32]
Different soil types suit different crops, but in general in temperate climates, sandy soils dry out fast but warm up quickly in the spring and are suitable for early crops, while heavy clays retain moisture better and are more suitable for late season crops. The growing season can be lengthened by the use of fleece, cloches, plastic mulch, polytunnels and greenhouses.^[32] In hotter regions, the production of vegetables is constrained by the climate, especially the pattern of rainfall, while in temperate zones, it is constrained by the temperature and day length.^[33]

Weeding cabbages in Colorado, US

On a domestic scale, the spade, fork and hoe are the tools of choice while on commercial farms a range of mechanical equipment is available. Besides tractors, these include ploughs, harrows, drills, transplanters, cultivators, irrigation equipment and harvesters. New techniques are changing the cultivation procedures involved in growing vegetables with computer monitoring systems, GPS locators and self-steer programmes for driverless machines giving economic benefits.^[33]