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Thanks for playing! Anyone else care to jump in? Or have they had their fill?
The Quiz
Vegetables:True or False?
1) Alfalfa sprouts are a health food.
2) Potatoes contain complex carbs, which are better for you than simple carbs like sugar.
3) The benefits of organic vegetables are overstates because studies show they're no healthier than conventionally grown food.
4) White button mushrooms are relatively low in nutrition.
5) Tomatoes can create inflammation in the body.
6) Arugula is just another kind of lettuce, like iceberg.
7) Some of the most nutritious vegetables are weird ones, like seaweed.
The Answers
1) False: Salmonella contamination is a big problem with alfalfa sprouts, and they contain toxins such as canavanine, which can cause cancer.
2) False: Most potatoes are not much better than white bread. The old distinction of simple and complex carbs is pretty much useless. Fingerling or Peruvian potatoes are better than most because they have a lower glycemic index and more nutrients.
3) False: Unless you like having lethal chemicals inside your body, go organic. The one study showing no difference between organic and conventional was funded by the food and agriculture industry. Many other studies have linked organic vegetables to a decrease in negative effects from pesticides and have found that organic vegetables contain more nutrients and phytochemicals than conventional ones.
4) True: They are surprisingly short on vitamins and contain cancer causing toxins when eaten raw, as many people do in salad.
5) True: Some people react badly to nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant). Negative effects include pain, inflammation and arthritis.
6) False: Unlike lettuce, arugula is in the cruciferous vegetable family. It is more like broccoli than lettuce and contains all sorts of nutrients like calcium and phytochemicals that help with detoxification of environmental chemicals and prevent cancer.
7) True: We should all make an effort to eat them more often. In fact the best way to get more nutrient-dense food is to eat organic foods, wild foods, or unusual plants such as purslane, dandelion greens, opr kohlrabi, for example. They are not staple foods so are less likely to be genetically altered (as long as they're not startchy either).
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