vegetables -confused, question about different types

[samy23]

Sorry if this is a stupid question. I've read people say they have above ground veggies or below ground veggies, oh and root veggies. Which vegetables are which? And what is the difference? Is there any significant nutritional difference between the 3 types? Are there other types too?

[Thalia the Muse]

The difference is just which part of the plant you eat. With some vegetables you eat the leaves -- chard, kale, spinach, lettuce. Some you eat the fruit (and they technically are fruits) -- tomatoes, squash, eggplant. Some you eat the root -- carrots, beets, celeriac, onions. And some you eat random odd parts of, like potatoes, which are technically not roots but tubers, or broccoli and artichokes, where you're eating flowerheads. Some vegetables have edible leaves AND roots, which is nice two-fer -- like turnips and beets.

Generally, root vegetables and tubers are starchier and many are good sources of beta carotene. Leafy greens are loaded with tons of vitamins and minerals. Crucifers like broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts are supposed to have cancer-protective properties. Tomatoes have lots of vitamin C and lycopene. It depends on the part of the plant you're eating and also the family the plant belongs to, which is why they recommend eating a bunch of different veggies.

[seashells]

Nice reply

[Llyra]

Some veggies are leafy veggies: broccoli, spinach, kale, chard, for example, or dark salad greens.

Some veggies we eat the roots or bulbs: potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabaga, parsnips, onions, garlic.

Some veggies are really legumes: peas, for example. And green beans are just the legume inside the whole pod.

Some veggies are really technically fruits, botanically: squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, peppers

The ideal situation is to eat a wide variety. The usual tendency, in a standard American diet, is to overemphasize the starchy vegetables, like potatoes and corn, and leave out the leafy greens. This is because many of us are accustomed to sweetness, and to the blood-sugar spike that eating starchy foods gives us. It takes some time to get used to the less-sweet taste of the leafy veg. Many Americans NEVER eat leafy greens, other than iceberg lettuce, which isn't really a good source of anything besides water and fiber.