Saturday, December 5, 2009

Top 10 Foods Highest in Beta Carotene...10


#10: Collards
A cousin of cabbage and also a good source of calcium, collards provide 3842μg of beta-carotene per 100g serving. Cooked collards provide even more with 4814μg per 100g serving.

The Cultivar Group name Acephala ("without a head" in Greek) refers to the fact that this variety of B. oleracea does not have the usual close-knit core of leaves ("head") like cabbage. The plant is a biennial where winter frost occurs, perennial in even colder regions. It is also moderately sensitive to salinity. It has an upright stalk, often growing up to 2 feet tall. The plant is very similar to kale. Popular cultivars of collard greens include Georgia Southern, Morris Heading, Butter Collard (or couve-manteiga), and couve tronchuda.

Nutrition:
Widely considered to be healthy foods, collards are good sources of vitamin C and soluble fiber and contain multiple nutrients with potent anti-cancer properties, such as diindolylmethane and sulforaphane.[citation needed] Roughly a quarter pound (approx. 100 g) of cooked collards contains 46 calories.

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley have recently discovered that 3,3'-Diindolylmethane in Brassica vegetables such as collard greens is a potent modulator of the innate immune response system with potent anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity.[citation needed]

No comments:

Post a Comment