The size is small, but the price is several times higher! Are mini vegetables just a waste of money?

Mini vegetables are gradually becoming people's new favorite.

Whether in the cold storage area of ​​supermarkets or in light meal restaurants, you can see small cabbages, small corns, small carrots, small cabbages everywhere... Some people think that mini vegetables are more nutritious, while others think that mini vegetables are not grown normally.

Which of the above statements are accurate? What exactly are mini vegetables?

Mini vegetables are not just mini vegetables

1 The “first generation” form of vegetables

A lot of mini vegetables, which is when the vegetables are small.

For example, baby corn, at first glance, looks like a cross between corn and bamboo shoots, but in fact, it has nothing to do with bamboo shoots, but is a standard crop of the genus Zea in the Poaceae family. The English name of baby corn is baby corn, which translates to the "baby stage" of the sweet corn we often eat.

Corn shoots. Copyrighted images from the photo library. Reproduction and use may lead to copyright disputes.

Normally, when the female ear of corn (also called the fruit ear, which is the sum of the corn kernels and corn cobs) grows and the tassels emerge from the top, the male flowers in the male ear of corn (the top of the corn stalk) will drop pollen to fertilize the filaments of the female ear. In the subsequent process, the corn kernels and corn cobs will grow rapidly and eventually become the corn we often eat. If you want to get corn shoots, just pick the female ear before the filaments are fertilized. At this time, the corn cob is still a fresh cob and can be eaten together with the embryonic form of the corn kernels that have not yet bulged. For example, mini spinach, mini sesame leaves, etc., are also in the infancy of vegetables.

2 They just look similar, but they are actually other species

But not all mini vegetables are like this. For example, the thumb-sized watermelon, although small enough to be used as a mobile phone pendant, the winding dark curves and the tender green bottom make it hard not to think that this is a smaller version of the long watermelon. But in fact, this kind of "watermelon" is also called rough hair horse (báo), which is a standard Cucurbitaceae crop, yes, the same family as cucumber. But it is also not a mini cucumber, but has its own species: the thumb-sized watermelon species of the genus Fanma. From the word "fan" in the genus, it can be seen that it is not a local crop, but an alien one. As early as several centuries ago, thumb-sized watermelons were already enjoyed by people in Central America and other regions. It is often used in American white people's meal-vegetable salad, but there, the thumb-sized watermelon has a relatively appropriate name for its original attributes: Mexican pickles. As for its appearance like watermelon, this is purely accidental. It accidentally bumped into the big guy.

Thumb-shaped watermelon. Copyright image from the photo library. Reprinting and using it may cause copyright disputes.

The same goes for small cabbages, which are actually Brussels sprouts, and the cherry radishes in Northeastern pickles, which are actually miniature varieties of radishes. The same is true for mini broccoli, small pumpkins, and cherry tomatoes.

3. The appearance is changed simply by processing

But there are also some mini vegetables, which are neither the infancy of vegetables nor unique varieties, but "scam products" carefully designed by merchants. For example, those frequent customers of convenience stores, "fruit carrots". From the appearance, they are thick at one end and thin at the other end, and the curve pattern is no different from carrots. They look like miniature carrots. But if you want to pursue the new trend and buy a few bags for your relatives who have been growing vegetables for a lifetime in your hometown to try, you may be chased and beaten. Because the truth is: they are all artificially cut from normal carrots according to the appearance of carrots. A carrot worth a few cents will increase its value dozens of times after being cut. This may be the value of wisdom.

Mini carrots. Copyright image. Reproduction may cause copyright disputes.

Are Mini Veggies More Nutritious?

The nutritional value of these mini vegetables also depends on their specific categories. For example, the mini version of corn - corn shoots. It is rich in nutrients such as protein, sugar and various vitamins. The key is that the calories of corn shoots are only 27 calories per 100 grams, which is several times less than corn kernels and one-fifth of the same amount of rice. At the same time, the carbohydrate content of corn shoots is relatively much less than that of corn kernels. This is why corn is classified as a staple food, while corn shoots are positioned more as vegetables. In this way, corn shoots are definitely a great partner during fat loss.

The small round cabbage, Brussels sprouts, is also very nutritious. It also contains 20 essential vitamins. In addition, its protein content is the highest among cabbage leafy vegetables. According to research, Brussels sprouts can lower cholesterol and prevent the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it also has disadvantages. For the Chinese people who pay attention to delicious food, this disadvantage can be infinitely magnified, that is: it is too bitter. There is a saying in the UK: love them or loathe them. Compared with hate, loathe has an additional meaning of "extreme disgust", which shows how much influence its taste has. As for the nutritional content of each vegetable, it is indeed difficult to present it in one article. If you want to compare it carefully, you can refer to the "Chinese Food Composition Table".

However, one thing to note is that there is actually not much point in buying processed mini vegetables. For example, mini carrots first appeared in 1986. An American grower realized that consumers did not like carrots with imperfect shapes, so he decided to cut carrots into small, uniform, and perfect shapes to sell. It can also be seen from its English name: Baby-cut & Peel carrots, which are just cut into small carrots, but they are still carrots, and the nutritional value has not changed at all. This kind of mini carrot is also popular with many people in my country, but the problems are the same, such as the high price, which is not affordable, and the outer skin of the mini carrots will be peeled off together, which greatly shortens the shelf life of the carrots. If they are not stored properly, they are likely to mold and deteriorate. It is better to be diligent, buy a peeler, do it yourself, and solve the problem once and for all.

Regarding vegetable health, there are also these pseudosciences

Many people think that vegetables are so healthy that it is perfect to use them to maintain health and lose weight. However, if the method is wrong, it may be counterproductive. For example, some people are used to eating vegetable salads to lose weight, but these vegetables are mostly eaten raw, and the flavor depends entirely on salad dressing. This small amount of salad dressing may make you waste a day's work because their fat content and added sugar content are too high, which is a calorie bomb.

Moreover, salad dressings almost all contain trans fatty acids, which are an important cause of high blood lipids and fatty liver. Some people only eat boiled vegetables a day, which is also unscientific. According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", a healthy diet should not only ensure that the daily intake of vegetables is between 300 grams and 500 grams, but also supplement 300 grams to 500 grams of dairy products and 200 grams to 300 grams of cereals, as well as 25 grams to 30 grams of fats and other diverse nutrients. The fats are a necessary condition for metabolism. Eating only vegetables means that the daily intake of nutrients is too single, which is not only not conducive to weight loss, but also harmful to the human body.

Copyright images in the gallery. Reprinting and using them may lead to copyright disputes.

Some time ago, a post titled "I eat 17 corns a day but I'm not losing weight" became a hot topic. In fact, this is a misunderstanding of "small quantity but large total amount". Vegetables such as potatoes can actually be considered half of the staple food due to their high starch content. Sometimes it is recommended to use them to replace staple foods during weight loss, but at the same weight, they have low calories and can also give a sense of fullness. The essence is to reduce calorie intake.

If you don't pay attention to the total amount of intake, no matter how low the calories of vegetables are, they will accumulate. Only by properly selecting, cooking and eating vegetables can you maximize their benefits and truly enjoy the happiness of health.

References

[1]Miles, Carol A.; Zenz, Leslie. (2000). Baby Corn (Report). Farming West of the Cascades. Pacific Northwest Extension. PNW0532. hdl:2376/7200

[2]Understanding the origins of baby carrots retrieved from https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2016/08/29/understanding-the-origins-of-baby-carrots/9785950007/#

[3]BRUSSELS SPROUTS: WHY DO SOME PEOPLE LOVE THEM AND OTHERS HATE THEM? retrieve from https://www.derby.ac.uk/blog/brussels-sprouts-people-love-others-hate/#:~:text=Moving%20forward%20in%20history%2C%20scientists,cannot%20taste%20sprouts'%20bitter%20flavour.

[4] Tao Shan. Balcony cultivation technology of Brussels sprouts[J]. Chinese Horticulture Abstracts, 2017, (Issue 6): 191-192

[5]Melothria Pendula． eattheweeds

[6] Chinese Food Composition Table

[7]Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents

This article is a work of Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project

Produced by: Science Popularization Department of China Association for Science and Technology

Producer｜China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.

Author: Li Mi, popular science creator

Review | Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center