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July 7, 2005
Prairie Fare: Don’t Forget to Eat Your Greens
“What’s that green stuff? Is it celery?” my son asked, warily examining the food on his plate. “No, that’s green pepper,” I replied. “I’m moving it out of my food,” he answered, navigating the offensive ingredient off the edge of his plate with his fork. “Peppers are considered food,” I responded. He looked up at me without a word, but his wrinkled nose said volumes. “Green vegetables and fruits are good for you,” I noted, echoing the admonitions of generations of mothers. “I ate some lettuce at school,” he responded. “Well, that’s a start,” I said. I’ll bet it was iceberg lettuce, I thought, but I made no judgment call. I didn’t start a war of wills over some green pepper, although I put the pepper back on his plate. Iceberg lettuce was better than nothing green. Not all lettuce is created equal. Iceberg lettuce is readily available and fairly inexpensive. It’s also much less nutritious and flavorful than other darker green varieties. Although similar in calorie content, spinach comes out on top nutritionwise.
Interestingly and somewhat unexpectedly, lettuce and other leafy greens are linked to better bone health. In a study of 72,000 nurses over 10 years, researchers found that those who had lettuce at least once per day had a lower risk of hip fractures. While calcium comes to mind when considering bone health, the researchers noted that calcium wasn’t the greatest nutrition issue. In this study, lettuce seemed to make the difference in keeping bones strong. Perhaps vitamin K content had something to do with it. Vitamin K is another nutrient notable in leafy greens. Be adventuresome when it comes to greens. Try some leaf lettuce fresh from a farmers market, grocery store or garden. Consider varieties such as romaine; Boston lettuce, also known as butterhead; bibb, which is known as limestone lettuce, or fresh spinach leaves. For our convenience, many lettuce varieties come prewashed and packaged, ready to serve straight from the bag. Some people choose to “refresh” the lettuce by rinsing with water; however, if the bag says “ready to eat,” it is safe to do so. Be sure to rinse head lettuce and other unwashed varieties carefully under plenty of running water. Avoid lettuce that is wilted, brown, black, or otherwise past its prime. Here’s a tasty fruit and vegetable salad to personalize with your favorite greens.
Source:
Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu |
Market Advisor: |
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North Dakota State University |
