Always make sure to select the most nutrient-dense vegetables and healthiest to grow in the garden. Not all are created equal! Robin Sweetser, wrote an article for the www.almanac.com creating a list with vegetable varieties bred specifically for better health, from tomatoes to carrots to zucchini.
One way to increase the nutritional content of what you grow this summer is to pay attention to your soil and be sure that you are replacing all important trace minerals.
Another way is to grow varieties that have been bred to have higher levels of phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are plant chemicals that protect the plants from insects, disease, drought, and other forms of adversity. Some of them, like the antioxidants, have been found to help humans weather adversity as well by strengthening our immune systems, protecting us from cancer, warding off heart disease, lowering cholesterol, and supporting healthy vision.
Several universities around the country have plant breeding programs that are looking at ways to increase the healthy antioxidants in different vegetables.
These vegetable varieties were bred specifically to be more nutritious
Tomatoes
- ‘Valentine’ grape tomato is the result of a collaboration between Penn State and Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It has high levels of lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces LDL cholesterol and lowers blood pressure.
- ‘Heath Kick’ is a red plum tomato that has 50% more lycopene than the average tomato.
- ‘Tasti Lee’ is a 6- to 9-ounce tomato developed at the University of Florida that has 40% more lycopene and is heat tolerant.
- ‘Mighty Sweet’ is a grape tomato with high levels of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and lycopene.
- ‘High Carotene’ is a 3-ounce tomato that has 2 to 3 times more beta-carotene than the average tomato. Beta-carotene protects us against heart disease, viral infections, cataracts, and cancer.
- ‘Power Pops is a small red cherry tomato that has more carotene and lycopene than most other varieties. It grows only 9 to 12 inches tall making perfect for growing in a container or hanging basket. Heathy snacking at your fingertips!
- ‘Caro Rich’ is an 8- to 12-ounce orange-yellow beefsteak tomato with 10 times the beta-carotene of a regular red tomato. It was developed at Perdue and is low acid and resists cracking too.
Carrots
- ‘Purple Dragon’ carrots have purple skin and a sweet orange core. They also have more lycopene than regular orange carrots. ‘Atomic Red’ is a deep red carrot high in lycopene. Carrots ‘Candysnax’ and ‘Sugarsnax’ were bred to be higher in beta-carotene.
Potatoes
- ‘Adirondack Blue’ potatoes are high in vitamin C and anthocyanins that are strong anti-inflammatories, promote heart health, fight viral diseases, and support cognitive function.
Cauliflowers
- ‘Violetta’ and ‘Graffiti’ are both purple cauliflowers that have high levels of anthocyanin. They are best eaten raw since the color and potency diminish when cooked.
- ‘Cheddar’ cauliflower develops 8 inch heads in about 70 days and has 25 times the beta-carotene of white cauliflower. Instead of fading, its color deepens when cooked.
Zucchini
- ‘Raven’ zucchini, developed at the University of Wisconsin, has 4 times as much lutein as standard zucchini! Lutein is a great vision protector, preventing cataracts and macular degeneration.
Source: www.almanac.com
