Vegetables and fruits: nutritional and therapeutic values

298 Pages·2008·2.611 MB·English

by  Li, Thomas S. C

VEGETABLES
and
FRUITS
Nutritional and
Therapeutic Values
Thomas S.C. Li
Boca Raton London New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Li, Thomas S. C.
Vegetables and fruits : nutritional and therapeutic values / Thomas S.C. Li.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978‑1‑4200‑6871‑9 (hardback : alk. paper)
1. Vegetables‑‑Composition. 2. Vegetables‑‑Therapeutic use. 3.
Fruit‑‑Composition. 4. Fruit‑‑Therapeutic use. I. Title.
QP144.V44L5 2006
613.2’8‑‑dc22 2007035791
Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at
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Contents
Foreword.....................................................................................................................v
Preface......................................................................................................................vii
Acknowledgments......................................................................................................ix
Introduction...............................................................................................................1
Chapter 1 Nutritional.and.Therapeutic.Values.of.Vegetables................................9
Chapter 2 Vitamins.and.Minerals.of.Vegetables...............................................103
Chapter 3 Flavonoid,.Isoflavone,.and.Carotenoid.Contents.in.Raw.
Vegetables..........................................................................................113
Chapter 4 Nutritional.and.Therapeutic.Values.of.Fruits....................................119
Chapter 5 Vitamins.and.Minerals.of.Fruits.......................................................187
Chapter 6 Vegetables.and.Fruits.Used.to.Protect.Health...................................197
Appendix 1: Chemical.Components.and.Their.Sources.......................................205
Appendix 2: List.of.English.and.Scientific.Names:.Vegetables............................233
Appendix 3: List.of.Scientific.and.English.Names:.Vegetables............................239
Appendix 4: List.of.English.and.Scientific.Names:.Fruits....................................243
Appendix 5: List.of.Scientific.and.English.Names:.Fruits....................................247
References..............................................................................................................251
Index.......................................................................................................................271
iii
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Foreword
Until.the.achievements.of.agriculture,.sanitation,.and.medicine,.most.humans.died.
of.starvation.or.disease..In.recent.centuries,.advancing.scientific.knowledge.and.
technology.have.progressively.reduced.mortality,.improved.health,.and.increased.
longevity..However,.an.embarrassing.crisis.has.now.developed.in.human.affairs:.
despite.the.unprecedented.availability.of.medicines.and.medical.treatments,.as.well.
as.an.astonishing.variety.of.food.offerings,.in.most.countries.people.are.becoming.
less.healthy,.due.in.considerable.part.to.rising.epidemics.of.obesity.and.diabetes..The.
next.generation.is.not.expected.to.live.as.long.as.their.parents.
What.has.gone.wrong?.First,.for.most.people,.life.has.become.more.sedentary.
and.stressful..Second,.the.marketplace.has.become.saturated.with.fast.food,.and.
relentless.advertising.has.resulted.in.a.predominance.of.“synthetic.foods”.that.com-
bine.dozens.if.not.hundreds.of.ingredients,.diabolically.concocted.to.appeal.to.man-
kind’s.inherent.attraction.to.sugar,.salt,.fat,.and.calories,.all.the.while.minimizing.or.
ignoring.the.basic.needs.for.nutrition.and.health..Much.of.the.current.health.crisis.
is.due.to.ignorance.of.the.nutritional.and.therapeutic.values.of.vegetables.and.fruits,.
the.traditional.foundation.of.a.healthy.diet..The.importance.of.this.unique.book.in.
addressing.the.dietary.problems.of.modern.society.cannot.be.exaggerated.
Just.what.natural.foods.should.be.the.basis.of.a.healthy.diet?.Modern.dieticians.
are.now.in.agreement.that.plant.foods.should.comprise.the.major.part.of.the.human.
diet..Moreover,.while.cereals.and.legumes.are.clearly.indispensable,.vegetables.and.
fruits.are.the.key.to.obtaining.essential.phytochemicals..Humans.are.dependent.on.
obtaining.tiny.amounts.of.essential.compounds.from.plants.—.not.just.vitamins.and.
minerals,.but.a.wide.variety.of.other.constituents.
A.considerable.proportion.of.human.disease.appears.to.be.related.simply.to.a.
diet.that.is.inadequate.in.these.constituents..Before.the.age.of.pharmaceutical.medi-
cine,.herbal.doctors.learned.from.trial.and.error.how.certain.foods.rich.in.particu-
lar.chemicals.possessed.curative.properties..Almost.certainly,.humans.have.been.
ingesting.and.benefiting.from.these.chemicals.for.hundreds.of.thousands.of.years..
This.highlights.the.problem.with.the.modern.synthetic.diet:.it.is.deficient.in.these.
essential.natural.compounds.(in.ways.that.we.still.do.not.appreciate),.and.so.contrib-
utes.to,.rather.than.alleviates,.disease.
The.“Father.of.Medicine,”.the.Greek.physician.Hippocrates.(460–377.BC),.
reflected.on.the.essential.medical.wisdom.of.a.diet.rich.in.nutritional.plants.by.say-
ing,.“Let.food.be.thy.medicine.”.The.same.thought.was.captured.by.the.equally.
long-lived.Benjamin.Franklin.(1706–1790):.“An.apple.a.day.keeps.the.doctor.away.”.
While.the.foods.of.all.cultures.undoubtedly.offer.healthful.benefits,.those.of.Asia.are.
of.particular.significance..Asian.cultures.(notably.Chinese.and.Indian).are.ancient,.
having.accumulated.vast.wisdom..Moreover,.Asian.cultures.in.recent.centuries.have.
added.to.their.food.repertoires.by.adopting.numerous.fruit.and.vegetable.species.
indigenous.to.other.countries,.particularly.from.the.New.World..Most.importantly,.
Asians.have.a.tradition.of.using.food.plants.for.improving.or.maintaining.health..The.

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i Vegetables and Fruits: Nutritional and Therapeutic Values
Chinese.in.particular.have.historically.combined.their.concepts.of.food.and.thera-
peutic.plants,.emphasizing.the.intimate.link.between.medicine.and.diet.
This.book.represents.a.milestone.in.that.it.introduces.North.Americans.to.the.
healthful.properties.of.more.than.100.each.of.vegetables.and.fruits.that.are.available.
to.the.general.public..This.is.an.authoritative.and.comprehensive.reference.guide,.
providing.critical.information.on.nutritional.as.well.as.other.health-related.constitu-
ents.and.their.therapeutic.applications..Much.of.the.information.and.interpretations.
are.presented.in.user-friendly.chapters..This.comprehensive.treatment.is.important.
because.undoubtedly.the.book.will.be.extremely.useful.to.a.diverse.range.of.health-
care.and.food.professionals.with.different.backgrounds.
Dr..Li’s.book.will.provide.those.in.the.applied.food.and.health.industries.with.
key.information.that.will.assist.in.the.provision.of.nutritious.food,.particularly.in.
relation.to.countering.disease..It.will.also.assist.in.the.creation.of.health-related.con-
sumer.goods..Finally,.those.who.produce,.process,.and.market.vegetables.and.fruits,.
as.well.as.their.nutraceutical.and.pharmacological.extracts,.would.be.well.advised.
to.carefully.study.Dr..Li’s.information..Many.of.the.species.documented.have.the.
potential.to.become.extremely.profitable.in.areas.where.they.are.not.presently.grown.
or.utilized.
Dr..Li,.one.of.the.world’s.most.knowledgeable.and.well-known.researchers.on.
medicinal.and.food.plants,.is.the.author.of.numerous.authoritative.reference.books..
This.latest.scholarly,.authoritative,.and.comprehensive.effort.achieves.the.extremely.
high.standards.for.which.his.publications.are.renowned..Vegetables and Fruits: Nutri-
tional and Therapeutic Values.is.a.superb.and.invaluable.synthesis.that.will.undoubt-
edly.be.a.standard.reference.on.food.plants.and.human.nutrition.for.many.years.
Ernest Small
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
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Preface
This.book.provides.comprehensive.information.on.vegetables.and.fruits..It.includes.
nutritional.and.therapeutic.values.on.more.than.100.species.each.of.vegetables.and.
fruits..The.objective.of.this.book.was.to.assemble.in.one.volume.the.large.amount.of.
information.that.is.not.familiar.to.the.general.public.about.the.healthful.properties.
of.vegetables.and.fruits.that.are.available.in.the.North.America.market..Vegetables.
and.fruits.have.more.than.just.nutritional.value..Some.may.contain.therapeutic.com-
pounds.that.are.beneficial.to.consumers.
This.book.is.designed.to.provide.researchers,.manufacturers,.and.producers.
easy.access.to.information.on.vegetables.and.fruits.in.user-friendly.tables..It.begins.
with.a.general.introduction.regarding.their.essential.human.nutritional.values.such.
as.protein,.vitamins,.minerals,.and.fiber.contents.as.well.as.the.presence.of.non-
nutrient.phytochemicals.such.as.sulfur-containing.compounds..Chapters.1.and.4.
present.currently.available.information.on.the.major.constituents.and.therapeutic.
values.in.more.than.100.each.of.vegetables.and.fruits,.respectively..Chapters.2.and.
5.present.the.vitamins.and.minerals.that.are.contained.in,.respectively,.vegetables.
and.fruits..Chapter.3.presents.flavonoid,.isoflavone,.and.carotenoid.contents.in.raw.
vegetables..Chapter.6.indicates.how.the.use.of.vegetables.and.fruits.can.protect.or.
improve.human.health.
The.information.in.this.book.is.primarily.for.reference.and.education..It.is.not.
intended.to.be.a.substitute.for.the.advice.of.a.physician..The.uses.of.vegetables.
and.fruits.described.in.this.book.are.not.recommendations,.and.the.author.is.not.
responsible.for.liability.arising.directly.or.indirectly.from.the.use.of.information.
in.this.book.
ii
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Acknowledgments
The.author.thanks.Paul.Ferguson.for.his.word-processing.assistance,.Barry.Butler.
for.his.technical.computer.assistance,.and.Lynne.Boyd.for.her.efforts.in.the.litera-
ture.search..I.also.thank.my.colleagues,.Drs..Tom.Beveridge,.Dave.Oomah,.Peter.
Sholberg,.Ernest.Small,.and.numerous.scientists.and.researchers.overseas,.for.their.
valuable.assistance.and.contributions..Finally,.I.would.like.to.thank.my.wife.Rose.
for.her.encouragement.
ix
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