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The rumors are true: vegetables aren’t real, at least botanically.
Although the term fruit is recognized in botany as anything that contains one or more seeds, vegetable is actually a generic term for many types of edible plants.
You may think you know what carrots and beets are. Carrots, beets and other vegetables that grow in the soil are actually the true roots of the plants. Lettuce and spinach are the leaves, while celery and asparagus are the stems, and green vegetables like broccoli, artichokes and cauliflowers are immature flowers, according to Steve Reiners, professor of horticulture at the College in Agriculture and Life Sciences from Cornell University.
As for products grown from flowers, such as peppers and tomatoes, the hotly debated crops are botanically classified as fruits, Reiners added. Cucumbers, squash, eggplants and avocados are also classified as fruits due to their anatomy, according to the European Food Information Council.
The term vegetable has no fixed definition when it comes to botany. However, in horticulture, the science of growing vegetables, a vegetable is defined as any herbaceous plant – a fleshy plant that completes its life cycle during one growing season – part of which “is consumed cooked or raw, for most of his life.” part of the meal, not as a snack or dessert,” Reiners said.
The legal definition of a vegetable versus a fruit — at least in the United States — was determined in a 19th-century U.S. Supreme Court case that concluded that the tomato is a vegetable.
Although vegetables are actually just the roots, stems and leaves of plants, experts do not recommend eating just any roots, stems and leaves.
An example is rhubarb. The fleshy stem is the edible part of the plant, but the leaves are toxic, Reiners explained. Stay safe by eating plants that grocery stores commonly call vegetables.
“We know (vegetables) are healthy. We know the vitamin and mineral content,” Reiners said. “We know how much fiber there is in this.
“We also know that the vegetables you grow or purchase at a farmers market or grocery store are safe to eat,” he said.
By understanding the different parts of vegetables and the nutrients they contain, people can eat well, according to Sherri Stastny, a registered dietitian and professor in the department of health, nutrition and exercise sciences at the University of Chicago. North Dakota State.
A head of broccoli is a great source of nutrients, but the stem of broccoli, which is most often discarded, is also rich in fiber and nutrients, Stastny said. Regular consumption of flower products such as broccoli and cauliflower has been found to be associated with a decreased risk of cancer, she added.
“Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and we know that if you eat enough fruits and vegetables, you reduce your risk of heart disease – and that goes hand in hand with obesity, diabetes and all these other chronic diseases,” Stastny said .
It’s important to eat a variety of vegetables because each one contains different beneficial nutrients, she added. Dark leafy greens like spinach and kale are excellent sources of certain phytonutrients, natural nutrients from plants beneficial to human health, that help maintain sharp eye vision, while carrots will help strengthen the night vision.
“If you think about the richest, darkest, most colorful vegetables, that’s where you’ll find them (nutrients),” Stastny said, while potassium-rich vegetables and fruits, like apples, earth, pumpkin and squash, could help lower and maintain blood pressure.
For parents looking to get their young children to eat their fruits and vegetables, breaking down the anatomy of the plant, while describing the colors, taste and texture, could be a fun and educational way to introduce foods rich in nutrients to the first explorers.
“Start them young,” Stastny said. “If you introduce children to vegetables at a younger age…they are more likely to eat them throughout their life and therefore decrease the risk of chronic disease.”
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