Better Vegetables?

[mudskipper]

I know you're supposed to eat a certain amount of vegetables a day but are there any that are particularly better for the track and field athlete based on the nutrients in them. I try to eat a balanced array of vegetables but have pondered if I should eat some more.

[BarkinMad]

Yes, there is a difference. Veggies grown using conventional methods (using fertilisers and so on) are forced to grow faster than normal. As a result they contain the same amount of energy, but less vitamins-poor nutritional content.

Organic vegetables are better for this-but best would be growing your own.

So although I don't have any advice as to particular veggies, I do believe you should avoid conventionally grown produce.

[Richie]

You should be thinking of those that have good mineral content too. Add some mushrooms into the diet perhaps, and make sure you get a good variety of veg.

I wouldn't say that there is any one wonder veg, as they each do well in some ways and not in others. For that reason variety is key, so that you do not miss out on anything. Aim for the rainbow of colors each day-that seems to be a good aim to begin with.

[mudskipper]

Organic isn't happening except whatever I grow at home. Its a great idea and all but way overpriced and sometimes hard to get around here (because it sells out not because its not carried). So until summer when I can eat what I grow I figure I can perhaps focus on eating the best vegetables out of the commercially prepared ones.

I like mushrooms but they seem to go bad rather quickly in the fridge. :(

[BarkinMad]

Yes I know what you mean with the organic problem. I cannot afford all organic so I focus on just one or two items-milk being the biggest thing.

For mushrooms the recommendation is to store them in a brown paper bag, and not in the fridge. However if they go bad too fast for you in the fridge then this is likely to be even worse.

Try keeping them in an air tight container. That will stop them drying out. I have never known a mushroom do anything BUT dry out, and they can be rehydrated-just cook them by boiling in milk gently and then make a sauce out of it all.

But if they are going bad, maybe you should just eat more, and more quickly!

[mudskipper]

Our house is horribly moist in the kitchen area. Its rather old and has the oddest issues sometimes. Should I put a paper towel in the container with them or can they just be stored by themselves?

I found yellow zuccini seeds today at the store which makes me happy as my summer squash never grows and I try to use the rainbow theory of veggies/fruits right now til I know more nutritionally.

[Richie]

A paper towel may mop up but it's not absorbent from the air like that. If you need something to keep the atmosphere in the tub dry then you are better trying something like desicated silica gel. There are other desicants out there too-heck if it comes to that store them with a disposible diaper in the tub!

[mudskipper]

Mmmmm diaper flavored mushrooms. ;) Sorry couldn't help myself.

My coach has recommended I keep with my rainbow method of eating fruits and veggies unless I'd like to get blood testing to see if there are any minerals or vitamins I am particularly lacking.

[BarkinMad]

The rainbow method is pretty good-it helped me some years ago to drop a few pounds. Blue is pretty hard though I have to say-but the berries that you might consume that way are a good source of things you wouldn't otherwise get.

Never eat a 'white' meal. Children today are becoming increasingly white as far as diets are concerned-all potatoes and milk and cheese and not much else. It's not healthy, lacks a huge amount of nutrients and is high in fats and sugars and is often very much, overly refined.

Get the rainbow, and you'll be doing well.

[mudskipper]

An all white meal doesn't even sound appetizing. I try to limit the "white" foods for the reasons you listed. They are the same things often used as fillers in pet food to create substance not nutrients.

I eat a huge amount of blueberries as I live in the NE US where they are common. I normally lump blue/purple together for ease. Which normally consists of beets, blueberries, blackberries, black raspberries, etc.