SUMMER
VEGETABLES………………………………………………..FITNESS
MANTRA
After
enjoying vegetables like sarson da saag, spinach, fenugreek leaves, peas,
carrots etc in winters, summer comes with its own bounty of vegetables and fruits.
The nature basket of winter gives us ample micro nutrients like iron, folic
acid, potassium, calcium. Vitamin A from green leafy vegetables carrots, peas
etc.
A winter fruit like apple has a good amount of
pectin; citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C and beta carotene. Overall, all
winter vegetables and fruits are fiber rich and full of antioxidants. So how
can these nutrients be bad in summer, which is almost devoid of all greens and
colorful vegetables? There is no need to panic as summer has its own army of
vegetables.
Pumpkins
are rich repositories of beta carotene, calcium, potassium and fiber. In
traditional medicine pumpkin is said to have cooling properties, is a diuretic
and good for stomach upset. Yellow pumpkin
also has soluble fiber which helps fight constipation.
Bottle
gourd (ghiya) and squash (tinda) contain iron and some calcium. Bitter gourd
(karela) possesses food quantity of iron and Vitamin C. but do not boil it and
throw the water away, have it steamed.
Lady’s
finger has good amount of calcium, folic, acid and Vitamin C. It has soluble fiber,
and is very good for controlling blood sugar levels. Summer vegetables, though
low in the micro nutrients are compared to their winter counterparts, have
better bio-availability of these nutrients. Winter green vegetables may be rich
in calcium and iron. But these are not easily digestible as these vegetables
have inhibitors called phytates and oxalates which hinder the absorption of
these nutrients.
Luckily,
summer vegetables do not have these inhibitors. Moreover, summer vegetables and
fruits can be consumed in larger quantities as compared to winter ones, since
there are light on the stomach and have a cooling effect. So God has created a
perfect balance of nature’s bounty according to seasons.
