Vegetable Myths and Misconceptions
- “Some vegetables are better than others” – Different vegetables contain different vitamins, mineral and phytochemcials – the best way to ensure you get the full range of all these beneficial compounds is to eat a variety of vegetables.
- “Organic vegetables contain more vitamins than those grown with pesticides” – While some studies show that organic fruit and vegetables do contain higher levels of vitamins and minerals, others show there is no significant difference. All vegetables, however they are grown, provide useful amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
- “Pesticide residues in vegetables increases the risk of cancer” – Experts agree that health benefits associated with eating more fruit and vegetables far outweighs any potential risk from pesticides.
- “Frozen and canned vegetables are not as healthy as fresh” – Frozen vegetables are processed literally within hours of being picked – they often contain higher levels of vitamins than fresh. The canning process also increases level of certain nutrients – for instance, canned tomatoes have higher levels of absorbable lycopene (a phytochemical that can help protect against prostate cancer).
- “Some vegetables such as carrots and parsnips have a high GI and are therefore best avoided” – The GI (glycaemic index) is only one measurement of what makes a food a good choice; other factors, such as the vitamin content and the amount of fat it contains are also important. Carrots and parsnips are a good source health promoting compounds such as beta-carotene and dietary fibre – although their GI may be higher than other vegetables, in average servings their glycaemic load (GL) is low. The GL takes into account the actual amount of carbohydrate in a serving as well as how quickly or slowly it is absorbed from the intestines (Does anyone know what a GI is? To what does it refer? I think it should be explained somewhere).
- “Bags of pre-prepared salad leaves contain hardly any vitamins compared with freshly prepared salad” – A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggested that bags of prepared salad contained less vitamins than freshly prepared salad, because the gasses added to the bags to extend shelf life and prevent the leaves from browning destroyed some of the vitamin C in the leaves. While this may be true – bagged salads do still contain some vitamin C, plus a lot of other useful components, such as phytochemicals, dietary fibre and vitamin K.
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