Vegetables and Fruits
Among the plants known as vegetables, some are seeds, some leaves, some stems or bulbs, some roots or tubers, and some are the fruit surrounding the seeds. Under the head of seeds we find peas, beans and lentils, this class of vegetables being spoken of as legumes or pulses; they are rich in protein (especially when dried) and contain an appreciable amount of carbohydrates as well, some contain fat. Green, or fresh legumes are more easily digested than the dried legumes. They are important sources of iron and phosphorus and contain a certain amount of calcium; in the body they act as neutralizing agents since the base-forming elements in these plants predominate over the acid-forming elements.[42]
Among the “leafy vegetables” we find, lettuce, cabbage, spinach, beet, turnip and mustard greens, chard and parsley. These vegetables are not only prized for their mineral content but furnish a recognized source of the fat soluble vitamine, “A.”
Tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and pumpkin are vegetables whose “fleshy fruit” surround the seed but are eaten as vegetables instead of as fruit.
Potatoes, carrots, parsnips, onions, beets and turnips are among those whose stems, roots or tubers are eaten as vegetables.
More and more are we coming to see the importance of this class of foods in the dietary, they are important on account of their mineral salts, their vitamine factors and for the bulk which they lend to the food mass which facilitates its passage along the digestive tract. The majority of vegetables furnish organic acids or their salts which function in the body, as potential bases, assisting in the neutralization of the acids formed in the body as a result of the breaking down of the proteins.
Fruits.—Fruits have practically the same value from a dietetic standpoint as vegetables, and the same care must be given to their selection. Some fresh fruit should be given to children every day to safeguard them against scurvy. And adults should have fresh fruit several times a week, the remainder of the time dried fruits may be used. Canned fruits while good are not so valuable as fresh fruits and are more expensive than the dried fruit.
The fruits and vegetables will here be considered. Some of the fruits and vegetables contain high percentages of sugar, aside from the mineral salts, for which they are especially valuable. This class includes the sugar cane, sugar beet, raisins, dates, figs, etc., while others such as the potato, taro, banana, etc., furnish an appreciable amount of starch. All of the vegetables and fruits are rich in mineral salts, which are as important to the work of the body as the proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Hence it is essential to add the foods containing these mineral salts to the daily dietary both in health and in disease.
Both fruits and vegetables should be free from blemishes. Those to be served raw, such as lettuce and other salad vegetables, must be purchased from reliable markets. Unscrupulous vendors have been known to sprinkle old wilted vegetables, to restore their freshness, with water from stagnant pools teeming with typhoid bacteria, thereby spreading infection broadcast. Vegetables which require cooking before they are eaten are, for this reason, safer.
Canned foods should be avoided in the diet of the invalid whenever it is possible; but, when it is not, care should be observed that no can is used in which there is the least sign of fermentation. Beans and peas are sometimes artificially colored, but this custom is not so prevalent now as it used to be.
Peas
121 calories
| ½ cup fresh peas | 1 tsp. butter |
| 1 pt. boiling water | ¼ tsp. salt |
Add salt and peas to boiling water; allow to cook from 30 to 60 minutes, or until they are perfectly tender, drain and add butter and additional salt if necessary, or 1 tablespoonful of cream sauce. In gastro-intestinal disorders and with young children, it is best to press peas through sieve or remove the indigestible parts.
String Beans
94 calories
| 1 cupful of string beans (measured after the strings are removedand the beans cut into small pieces) | |
| 1 tsp. butter | ½ tsp. salt |
Cover with boiling water and cook until tender, drain, and serve hot.
Spinach
90 calories
| ½ lb. spinach | ½ tsp. salt |
| 2 tsp. butter | |
Wash thoroughly through about ten waters, until spinach is entirely free from grit, remove the tough stems, lift the spinach from water and place in a saucepan without additional water, sprinkle over with salt, cover saucepan and cook until tender (requires about 15 minutes). Cut very fine with sharp knife, or press through sieve, add butter and serve hot.
Carrots (with Cream Sauce or Butter)
82-117 calories
Carrots, about ½ cupful after they are cut in cubes, or 3½ ounces. Serve with 2 tablespoonfuls of cream sauce, or with 2 teaspoonfuls of butter and a little salt and pepper. Scrub carrots and scrape off the skins; cut into slices or cubes, drop into slightly salted boiling water and cook until tender; drain and add butter or cream sauce.
Baked Potato (White)
140 calories
1 potato weighing about 3 ounces; scrub well with a brush; dry and slightly grease surface, place in moderately hot oven and bake about 45 or 50 minutes. (The potato should feel tender upon pressure.) When done, make an incision of 1 inch in the skin and gently press out the steam; cover closely with cloth and keep in a warm place until ready to serve. Put teaspoonful (about ⅙ ounce) of butter in the cut and serve very hot.
Creamed Potato
182 calories
| ¼ tsp. salt | 2 tsp. milk |
| 1 medium size potato | 1 tsp. butter |
Pare and boil potato until tender when pierced with a fork; drain off the water and return the saucepan to the stove; shake the pan (to prevent burning) until the potato looks dry; mash with fork or potato ricer, add milk, butter, and salt. Beat briskly until creamy. Serve at once or brown in oven.
Potato Stuffed with Meat
197.5 calories
| 1 potato (baked) | 1 tbs. cold chopped beef |
| ¼ tsp. salt | 1 tsp. butter |
| Dash of pepper | |
Bake potato, split in half and remove the contents, mix with the chopped meat, add salt, pepper, and butter; return to the two halves, set in oven to brown, then serve at once.
Scalloped Potatoes
250.8 calories
| 1 potato | ¼ cup milk |
| 2 tsp. butter | |
Boil potato, not quite tender, and slice in moderately thin slices; arrange in layer in an individual earthenware baking dish (ramekin), add butter in bits between layers, pour the milk over; set dish in oven, cover and bake slowly for 15 minutes, until most of the milk is absorbed and the potatoes are nicely browned on top. In cases where the patient is allowed cheese, 2 teaspoonfuls may be sprinkled between the layers, giving 31 additional calories.