Eating on the Wild Side Part II

Vegetables

Wild Greens to Iceberg Lettuce: As a general rule, the most intensely colored salad greens have the most phytonutrients. A surprise, if you tear your greens before storage, you double the antioxidant value. To store greens: after purchase, rinse and then soak for 10 min in cold water, dry, tear, place in plastic bag and squeeze out the air and prick the bag with a few holes. Choose arugula over any green leafy greens, what tops arugula for nutrients is red leafy greens. 

Radicchio: Has 4x more antioxidants than romain.

Spinach: Equally good for you as red leafy greens. Buy in whole bunches rather than bags. Do not boil- steam only. 

Olive Oil: Best oil to use in salad dressings because it makes the nutrients in the greens more bioavailable. 

Alliums: 

Onions: The smaller the onion and the strongest- the most antioxidant they pack.  

Shallots: Nutritionally the most potent in the onion family.  

Leeks: When cooking with leeks, use the bulbs and greens.  Greens have the most nutrients, yet we often throw them out. 

Chives: Onion and garlic chives are really good for you. 

Scallions or green onions: The most nutritious of the onions, second to shallots. Eat the green stems. 

Traditional: Choose yellow. 

Corn: Choose colorful corn.  Deep yellow, red, blue, black and purple is better for you than white or light yellow. 

Surprise!  Steam or grill corn.  Don't boil it- you loose the nutrients in the water. 

 

Potatoes: There are no nutrients in Russet, Yukon Gold or Kennebec.  Buy first: purple peruvian, french fingerling, large purple, ruby red crescent.  Eat the skins.  You can lower glycemic spike from potatoes by cooking then cooling for 24 hours before eating or flavoring with vinegar. 

Root Crops: 

Carrots: Choose first: Purple, Red, Orange than white.  There is far more nutrients in purple carrots than  orange. Cooked whole carrots with olive oil have up to 8x more beta-carotene than raw baby carrots.  Baby carrots in a bag, have hardly any nutrients.  

Beets:The greens on the beet are very nutritious.  Choose red.  

Sweet Potatoes: Choose dark-fleshed varieties.  Lower glycemic level and more nutrients than potatoes. 

Tomatoes: Cooking tomatoes for 30 minutes can more than double their lycopene content. Best tomato for your health are grape, currant than cherry.  All red variations. Darker color and smaller the size more nutrients. Do not refrigerate and eat within a few days. Use the skin, juice and seeds of tomatoes.

Crucifers: 

Broccoli and Kale are high in antioxidants.  Purple broccoli is best- purchase with the stem. 

Cabbage: Choose red cabbage over green. 

Cauliflower: Choose orange, green and purple over white. Steam, don't boil.  

Kale: Choose red leaved varieties. The best of the crucifers. 

Legumes: Choose first: lentils, black beans, red kidney, yellow pea, chickpea, green pea. 

Lentils: Black have the most nutrients.  

Surprise! Canned beans are even higher in antioxidants than home-cooked beans.  

Artichokes, Asparagus and Avocados: Indulge! 

Artichokes are high in antioxidants and fiber.  

Avocados: Hass are the best.  Ripen firm avocados in a closed paper bag.  Add a banana to speed the process.  Cut sections will stay fresh for two days if you drizzle with lemon or lime juice and wrap in plastic, in the refrig. You can also store a cut avocado on a bed of onions.