Nowalijki are young spring vegetables that appear for the first time in the season. Many people wonder what vegetables are called spring vegetables, and whether spring vegetables are he althy or harmful. Every year Nowalijki raise doubts - can vegetables grown in artificial conditions have any nutritional value? Is it worth eating early vegetables?

Nowalijkiarouse enthusiasm in us when the body begins to feel a lack of vitamins and minerals after the winter. As a result of long storage, the stocks of potatoes, carrots, apples and cabbage accumulated in the autumn have lost many valuable substances. That is why we react with such enthusiasm to greenhouse vegetables. However, there is a question aboutnutritional value of spring vegetables .

Contents:

  1. Nowalijki - what kind of vegetables are they?
  2. Nowalijki - properties and nutritional values ​​
  3. Nowalijki - are they he althy?
  4. Nowalijki - are they harmful?
  5. Nowalijki - storage
  6. Nowalijki - are they worth eating?
  7. Organic vegetables from organic farming

Nowalijki - what kind of vegetables are they?

Nowalijkiare young spring vegetables that appear for the first time in the season. What vegetables are early vegetables?

  • lettuce
  • radishes
  • tomatoes
  • young carrot
  • cucumbers
  • chives
  • watercress
  • parsley leaves
  • spring onion

Eternal summer reigns in large glass halls. Adequate temperature, lighting and air humidity were taken care of so that the plants had the best possible conditions.

They are usually not grown on classic soil, but on a mixture of peat, leaf soil, fertilizers and micronutrients.

The so-called hydroponic cultivation: the roots are not immersed in the ground, but in a liquid solution of minerals. The composition of the substrate varies depending on the needs of a given plant species.

Greenhousesgreenhouses do not have to fight pests and weather factors such as hail or frost. Thanks to optimal conditions, they grow quickly and are good-looking.

Nowalijki - properties and nutritional values ​​

The content of vitamins and minerals in greenhouse vegetables is similar to those grown in the field. Fresh vegetables may only have slightly less vitamin C and bioflavonoids due to the lack of lightsolar. The day is short and the glass of the greenhouse filters the rays. But the difference is not significant.

We feel a much bigger difference in taste, because spring vegetables do not produce enough sugars and fragrances due to the negligible amount of sun.

Tomatoes that are picked not fully ripe, and then placed in a chamber filled with ethylene - a gas that accelerates maturation, are also less tasty. However, this method does not deprive vegetables of nutrients.

- The grown, but green tomato already contains all the vitamins and minerals - says Dr. Janina Gajc-Wolska from the Faculty of Horticulture and Landscape Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences. - Reddened with the use of ethylene can only be less sweet.

Nowalijki - are they he althy?

Radish, thanks to sulfur compounds, protects against cancer. It has a lot of dietary fiber, which speeds up the metabolism. But people with gallbladder problems should avoid radishes because they act cholagogue and can provoke attacks of pain.

Radish is a fairly good source of folic acid - a substance needed by women planning offspring. It is low in calories (one leaf equals 1 kcal), so it is recommended for people on a slimming diet, of course, provided that it is not covered with fattening cream sauce.

Cucumber is neither rich in vitamins nor minerals - it contains some iodine and vitamin A. It is low in calories (13 kcal per 100 g) and gently helps to remove excess water from the body. Enzymes present in cucumbers break down vitamin C. So it's better not to combine them in one dish, for example with tomatoes.

  • Which products should not be combined with each other?

Lettuce owes its color to chlorophyll, which has a bactericidal effect, accelerates healing, protects against germs, helps to overcome infections. Lettuce contains lutein and zeaxanthin, powerful antioxidants that protect against macular degeneration.

We can grow some early vegetables ourselves. The onion or parsley planted in a pot and sprinkled on moist cress lignin will turn green in a few days.

Tomatoes have a lot of vitamin C. It also contains a lot of vitamin E and beta-carotene. Tomatoes contain B vitamins as well as vitamin K. Tomatoes are also rich in mineral elements. One of the most important is potassium, which, thanks to its diuretic effect, lowers blood pressure. A valuable ingredient in tomatoes is the anti-cancer lycopene. It is a natural dye that gives tomatoes an intense red color.

Chives - in its compositionenters quercetin - a powerful antioxidant that prevents blood clots, atherosclerosis and infections. People suffering from heartburn should be careful with this vegetable. It has vitamins C, A, E, B and PP and a lot of iodine.

Cress has a lot of vitamin C to strengthen immunity. It has a diuretic effect, therefore it is recommended in kidney disorders. It is important in the diet of smokers because it neutralizes carcinogenic compounds found in tobacco smoke.

Parsley is great for strengthening - 100 g contains 5 mg of iron and 177 mg of vitamin C (more than in citrus). It has a great effect on eyesight and skin, as it has as much as 5510 µg of beta-carotene and 3.1 mg of vitamin E

Spring onion is a low-calorie vegetable - only 30 kcal per 100 g. It is rich in many vitamins: A, C, PP, B1, B2 as well as beta-carotene and folic acid.

Nowalijki - are they harmful?

Unfortunately, a lot of artificial fertilizers with nitrogen compounds are used to fertilize spring vegetables. Plants absorb them indiscriminately - that is, they collect as much as we give them, not as much as they need.

And we usually supply too many of them - the inspections carried out quite often show that the permitted standards are exceeded.

A lot of nitrates accumulate especially in the roots and outer leaves of vegetables. So the most of them can be in radishes, carrots or lettuce.

Excess nitrogen compounds can cause human poisoning, and in the long run also increase the risk of cancer. In the body, nitrates simplify to nitrites, which are then converted into carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Unfortunately, we are not really able to recognize whether the spring vegetables we are going to buy are over-fertilized or not, because neither the size nor the color of the vegetables prove it. So it only remains to buy from friends and trusted farmers.

Don't do that

Nowalijki - storage

Nowalijek must not be kept in the refrigerator in foil bags, because the moisture generated in such a package accelerates the conversion of nitrites into carcinogenic nitrosamines. It is better to line the drawer in the refrigerator with some air-permeable material, e.g. parchment or linen.

Nowalijki - are they worth eating?

- I am of the opinion that eating a few leaves of lettuce or tomato will not hurt anyone - says Dr. Małgorzata Kozłowska-Wojciechowska, chairman of the Council for the Promotion of He althy Human Nutrition.

- But spring vegetables cannot be considered the primary source of vitamins. You should treat them rather as an addition to dishes, a way to improve your mood. For one radish or a few slices of cucumber a day, it is also possible to allow children over 3 years of age.years of age.

If the vegetables were grown in accordance with all the required standards, they should not harm even the youngest. Remember, however, that they must be very careful with young, raw vegetables

  • allergy sufferers
  • ulcerow
  • people with irritable bowel syndrome

Organic vegetables from organic farming

Vegetables from organic farming are safer, because they are almost free of nitrates. - These farms do not use synthetic, easily available mineral fertilizers - says prof. Ewa Rembiałkowska from the Department of Organic Food of the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

- Instead, natural compost is used, from which the plant takes up only as much nitrogen compounds as it needs - so the fertilizer does not accumulate in the roots or leaves.

The trouble is that such early vegetables can only be bought in organic food stores, and there are also relatively few of them and they are quite expensive.

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