FOODY CORNERS

CHAPTER 7: FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

There are different and wide varieties of fruits and vegetables and their benefits to the body. Fruits and vegetables offer healthy nutrients to the body. It contains natural vitamins that nourishes the body. Both fruits and vegetables are divided into groups by how they grow and species.

 VEGETABLES

There are different kinds and types of the vegetable family:

1. Leafy Greens: Cabbages, Spinach, Endive, Swiss Chard etc.

2. Roots and Tubers: Carrots, Parsnip, Turnips, Swede, Radish, Beetroot, Potatoes (Sweet Potato, Estima, Jersey, Floury, Desiree, King Edward) etc.

3. Mushroom: Closed Cap, Button Mushrooms, Chestnut, Oyster Mushroom, Enoki, Shiitake, Cep, Morel, Chanterelle, Cloud Ear etc.

4. Alliums: Onions, Shallots, Leeks, Garlics.

5. Squashes: Pumpkin, Courgettes, Marrows, Gourds etc.

6. Capsicums: Peppers, Chillies etc.

7. Salad Leaves: Frisee, Endive, Radicchio, Batavia, Mustard Green, Beet Greens, Watercress, Rosette, Round Lettuce etc.

 FRUIT

There Are 5 Main Fruit Categories:

1. Citrus: Oranges, Lemons, Lime, Grapefruits, Tangerines, Clementine etc.

2. Berries: Strawberries, Raspberries, Redcurrants, Blackberries, Blueberries, Blackcurrants, Gooseberries etc.

3. Hard Fruits: Apples, Pear etc.

4. Stone Fruits: Plums, Apricots, Peaches, Mangoes etc.

5. Exotic Fruits: Passion Fruit, Kiwi Fruit, Figs, Guava, Persimmon, Pawpaw, Pomegranate, Star Fruit etc.

Benefits: Eating vegetables and fruits is important to the health. They give essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibre etc. to the body. They lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, keeps the body fit and lower risk of eye disease. It helps build and repair bones and teeth.

Fruits and vegetables are a good source of protein and carbohydrates. They help to maintain calorie intake as they are low calorie food and they have a disease fighting phytochemicals.