Food Value Comparison of Certain Vegetables 














Vegetable Vitamins Minerals 
A By C G Tron Calcium Phosphorus 
Perennial 
Asparagus t+ ++ +44 ++ + + + 
Greens 
Swiss Chard = +++ +++ + +++ 44+ ++ 
Spinach +44 +++ 4+ +4+4+ 444 +4 
Beet Greens os Sg oe eae aS eae tocese ue 
Turnip Greens +++ +++ 44+ ee Sea 
Kale +44 +++ ++ +++ 444 $+ 
Cole Crops 
Cabbage pret) | te ee tO te doo ae 
Cauliflower _ shee eee ae i aie ae 
Broccoli +++ +4 444+ 44+ ++ +++ ++ 
Kohlrabi te ae ae tact od ae ieee oy i 
Chinese Cabbage +++ + pee ze ag Hie a 
Brussels Sprouts ++ ++ 444 4 aaa Pa zip eee 
Salad Crops 
Lettuce = aR oh ta =F ape = 
Endive arate | 1 anal Sie =e cts + 
Parsley +++ 44+ 444 - +++ O O 
Celery apr = a aF =|-f= a 
Beans and Peas 
Peas ++ ++ ++ + +++ ++ +++ 
Snap Beans oh arate eta ara ae Seth fits 
Lima Beans a ear Ox sear ot eae ae ++ 
Beans, shell as a= rae eos ae 
Root, Bulb and Tuber Crops 
Beets = = etre te a os oa 
Carrots pata) ab. Vag ae a clasts a 
Radishes - + ++ + + + + 
Rutabagas = = stent mf ae seat at 
Turnips = + ++ + 4 fede fe 
Parsnips = apc Mae ar ae ae racks sheets 
Salsify iS LC = i a are a 
Onions = ale ats = a SLi + 
Potatoes = ++ ++ - + + + 
Corn sp fea areee AS ah = 60 at 
Vine Crops 
Summer Squash ++ + Sia GF oe af ae 
WinterSquash +++ + te or ate oe a= 
Cucumbers = aE Pt os aa — oe 
Muskmelon a a8 aR ats oem = aE 
Watermelon = ae aR s a = SB 
Pumpkins qr A = at ag = = 
Solanaceous Crops 
Tomatoes 5 a sy Scheie sh an i ae 
Peppers “Fos eee ae oo = = = 
Eggplant aig a a tg = = f 
Fair source — + 
Good source — +-+ Absent or a poor 
Excellent source — +-++-++ 
source — Data insufficient — [_] 

An adequate intake of vitamins 
is essential for good health and the 
ability to ward off infections of 
many kinds. Vitamin-rich foods are 
known as protective foods. Vegeta- 
bles are such protective foods. 
Draft rejections indicate a deplora- 
bly faulty national diet. Nutrition 
specialists assert that the American 
public must, in order to raise present 
levels of diet to a good nutritional 
level, double the consumption of 
green leafy vegetables and must in- 
crease by about 70 percent the con- 
sumption of tomatoes and other car- 
riers of vitamin C. We have made far 
too little use of the protective vita- 
min-tich vegetables that can be so 
readily raised in home gardens or, if 
this is impossible, can be obtained 
the year around either fresh, canned 
or frozen. 
Getting the future generation on a 
satisfactory nutritional level rests 
largely with parents, since children 
acquire rather fixed food preferences 
and prejudices at a very early age. It 
is these food habits that retard the 
popularity of many healthful vegeta- 
bles and their acceptance in certain 
sections, even though very popular 
in others. 
Thus in the interest of better nutri- 
tion it is the duty of parents to en- 
courage children to like many differ- 
ent kinds of health-giving vegetables 
and to develop their willingness to 
add new vegetables to their diet. 
Since it is desirable to nearly dou- 
ble our consumption of vegetables, 
we must not only increase our use of 
ordinary kinds, but must also add 
vitamin value by including in our 
gardens new vitamin-rich kinds as 
well as old kinds of real merit that 
have been overlooked or omitted be- 
cause of habit or unwarranted preju- 
dice. Perhaps improved methods of 
cooking are necessary to get certain 
kinds accepted and desired. Research 
is continually developing improved 
methods of preparation and preserv- 
ing which result in finer flavor and 
more completely conserve the pro- 
tective and nourishing qualities of 
many vegetables. Complete informa- 
tion on these new methods and on a 
variety of old methods of proven 
worth is readily available through 
home demonstration extension agents 
and a number of modern cook books. 
US) 
