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Vegetables
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Vegetables are a main staple in the diet of almost everyone on the planet. When fresh, they commonly consist of more than 70 percent water, but contain many nutrients and are rich in a class of biochemicals that are thought to have anti-cancer activity, the phytochemicals. Over 200 types of vegetables have been categorized around the world, with about 75 types growing throughout the United States, where over 50 types are grown commercially. Though chiefly utilized as food for humans and farm animals, some vegetables are ... used for other applications, including the production of vegetable oils, starch, alcohol, and fibers.
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Vegetables are plants considered fit for human consumption, although they may ... double as fodder crops for domesticated animals. As cultural metaphors, they are firmly embedded in all languages and emerge in such expressions as "hot tomato" for an attractive woman, "cabbage head" for someone who is not too bright, or "cool as a cucumber" in reference to extremely calm nerves. However, from a scientific standpoint, the use of the term "vegetable" is highly subjective and is a term of convenience rather than one based on a neatly ordered scientific classification. This ambiguity evolved out of horticultural practice and to some extent out of cultural bias hinging on the key question: what is fit to eat? The vegetable of one culture may be repulsive to another, as, for example, the cannibal's tomato (Solanum uporo Dunal) of Melanesia and Polynesia, which was formerly used in salsas for human flesh. On Fiji, the berry was actually cultivated near sites designated for human sacrifice.
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Vegetables generally require 1 inch of water per week for normal growth. When rainfall does not supply this amount, supplemental water is necessary. Local weather forecasts and weather data reported in the newspaper give a generalized picture of rainfall levels for an area. Soil moisture will vary with temperature, wind conditions and soil type. A rain gauge provides accurate data for your garden.
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Vegetables are eaten in a variety of ways as part of main meals and as snacks. The nutrient content of different types varies considerably. With the exception of pulses, vegetables provide little protein and fat. Vegetables contain water soluble vitamins like vitamin B and vitamin C, fat-soluble vitamins including vitamin A and vitamin D, and ... contain carbohydrates and minerals and fiber. Among the nutrients vegetables may have include antioxidants, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticarcinogenic nutrients. Also, decaying or rotting vegetables (plant matter in general) may have reduced nutrients.
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Eating just three servings of vegetables a day can cut a man's risk of prostate cancer nearly in half. While carrots, beans, greens and cooked tomatoes all were found to decrease risk, the strongest effect was for cruciferous vegetables. These findings will appeared in the Jan. 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
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In addition to winning the overall championship, Friday's Wicked Wings were named best wings and Friday's Crispy Green Bean Fries were selected as best fried vegetables. Friday's defeated the next closest competitor by four points. For full details and quarter by quarter results, visit:
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