The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 recommend eating at least 2.5 cups of vegetables daily, based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Read the descriptions below and guess which vegetable it is. The answers are at the end of the article.
Veggie 1:
• Excellent source of protein, high in dietary fiber, potassium, and folate
• Often eaten cold in salads or hot in soups
• The type sold in the United States is usually cream-colored and relatively round
• Main ingredient in hummus
Veggie 2:
• The French call them “love apples”
• High in lycopene, an antioxidant that may help lower the risk of certain cancers and other conditions such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis
• Taste best when stored at room temperature
• Botanically, they are a fruit
Veggie 3:
• A dark green lettuce
• High in vitamin A
• Started as a Mediterranean weed
• Has a long, loaf-shaped head of sturdy leaves
Veggie 4:
• Contains phytochemicals that may help reduce the risk of certain cancers
• Its four-petaled flowers bear a resemblance to a Greek cross, resulting in it frequently referred to as a crucifer or cruciferous vegetable
• Mark Twain called this vegetable “a cabbage with a college education.”
• Creamy white in color
Veggie 5:
• The leading vegetable crop in the United States
• A medium (5.3 oz.) skin-on serving has just 110 calories
• High in potassium, a nutrient the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend Americans increase in their diet
• A model of this vegetable serves as the basis for a toy named after it
Answers:
Veggie 1: Garbanzo beans; also called chickpeas
Additional vegetables in this subgroup include all cooked and canned beans and peas — for example, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, and pinto beans. Does not include green beans or green peas.
Veggie 2: Tomato
Additional vegetables in this subgroup include all fresh, frozen, and canned red and orange vegetables, cooked or raw — for example, red peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and pumpkin.
Veggie 3: Romaine Lettuce
Additional vegetables in this subgroup include all fresh, frozen, and canned dark-green leafy vegetables and broccoli, cooked or raw — for example, broccoli, spinach, collard, turnip, and mustard greens.
Veggie 4: Cauliflower
Additional vegetables in this subgroup include all fresh, frozen, and canned other vegetables, cooked or raw -- for example, iceberg lettuce, green beans, and onions.
Veggie 5: White Potatoes
Additional vegetables in this subgroup include all fresh, frozen, and canned starchy vegetables - for example, corn, and green peas.