Vegetables
The Foods (31)
Spinach
Leafy green first grown in ancient Persia, studied for eye, bone and heart health and iron, with oxalate and vitamin K cautions.
Read the deep dive →Kale
Called the queen of greens, this ancient non-heading cabbage is exceptionally nutrient dense, studied for eye, bone, heart and cancer research.
Read the deep dive →Broccoli
A cruciferous flower head bred from wild cabbage, heavily researched for cancer prevention, detoxification, heart, bone and eye health.
Read the deep dive →Beets
Crimson root descended from the wild sea beet, rich in dietary nitrate and betalain pigments studied for blood pressure and athletic performance.
Read the deep dive →Onions
One of the world's most eaten vegetables, rich in quercetin, sulfur compounds and prebiotic fibers studied for heart, blood sugar and gut.
Read the deep dive →Celery
A crunchy, roughly 95 percent water stalk whose phthalides are studied for blood pressure, with an honest look at the celery juice trend.
Read the deep dive →Pumpkin
Bright orange winter squash whose flesh is low in calories yet rich in fiber, potassium and beta-carotene; its seeds supply zinc.
Read the deep dive →Carrots
The crunchy taproot of Daucus carota, best known for beta-carotene and eye health; heavy eating can tint the skin orange.
Read the deep dive →Cucumber
Watery gourd-family fruit eaten as a vegetable, known for hydration, cucurbitacin antioxidants, skin traditions and fermented pickles.
Read the deep dive →Cauliflower
Pale flower-bud curd of the cabbage family, low in carbohydrate and popular as a rice or mash swap, with sulforaphane and choline.
Read the deep dive →Green Beans
Young, tender pods of the common bean, eaten whole and low in calories, supplying fiber, vitamin K, folate and flavonoids.
Read the deep dive →Collard Greens
Broad, sturdy cabbage-family leaves of Southern cooking, among the richest common vegetables in vitamin K and a notable plant calcium source.
Read the deep dive →Cabbage
Cheap, sturdy head of leaves from the broccoli and kale species, rich in vitamins C and K, and studied fermented for gut health.
Read the deep dive →Radish
Crisp, peppery cruciferous root ranging from red globes to daikon and black radish, notable for glucosinolates and a traditional digestion role.
Read the deep dive →Sweet Potatoes
A morning-glory family root domesticated thousands of years ago in the Americas, rich in beta-carotene and studied for blood sugar and gut health.
Read the deep dive →Bell Peppers
Sweet, heat-free peppers of the chili species, one of the richest everyday sources of vitamin C, plus carotenoids studied for eye health.
Read the deep dive →Brussels Sprouts
Miniature cabbage-like buds growing up a tall stalk, studied for sulforaphane and cancer research; very high vitamin K matters with warfarin.
Read the deep dive →Asparagus
Young spring spears of a perennial plant, among the richest vegetable sources of folate, with glutathione, vitamin K and prebiotic inulin.
Read the deep dive →Watercress
Peppery semi-aquatic crucifer grown in running water, ranked remarkably nutrient dense per calorie, with PEITC, vitamin K, lutein and zeaxanthin.
Read the deep dive →Arugula
A peppery cruciferous salad green, also called rocket, notable for glucosinolates, vitamin K and dietary nitrates studied for blood pressure.
Read the deep dive →Swiss Chard
Glossy leaves on rainbow-coloured stalks, the same species as the beet, supplying vitamin K, magnesium and betalains alongside high oxalates.
Read the deep dive →Bok Choy
Chinese white cabbage with crisp stalks and tender leaves, a crucifer offering glucosinolates, vitamin K, calcium and vitamins A and C.
Read the deep dive →Kohlrabi
Known as cabbage-turnip, a swollen above-ground stem with a mild, crisp taste, offering vitamin C, fiber and cruciferous glucosinolates.
Read the deep dive →Okra
Ridged seed pod from the hibiscus family whose slippery mucilage is soluble fiber, studied for blood sugar with claims weighed honestly.
Read the deep dive →Artichoke
The unopened flower bud of a thistle, rich in fiber and prebiotic inulin, studied for liver, bile, digestion and cholesterol.
Read the deep dive →Leeks
Mild, sweet allium related to onions and garlic, carrying organosulfur compounds, kaempferol and prebiotic inulin studied for gut and heart.
Read the deep dive →Parsnip
A sweet, cream-coloured carrot cousin rich in fiber and folate; the plant's foliage can cause sun-triggered skin burns, the root does not.
Read the deep dive →Zucchini
Summer squash, or courgette, eaten young with skin and seeds, low in calories; an intensely bitter one signals toxic cucurbitacins.
Read the deep dive →Butternut Squash
Long-necked winter squash with sweet orange flesh, loaded with beta-carotene for vitamin A, plus fiber studied for heart health.
Read the deep dive →Turnip
Hardy, purple-topped cruciferous root that is really two foods, since its leafy greens are far more nutritious than the root.
Read the deep dive →Purslane
A succulent garden weed eaten worldwide, unusually rich for a green in plant omega-3 ALA, with small trials on blood pressure and sugar.
Read the deep dive →The largest group on the site, from the cruciferous vegetables through the roots, alliums and leafy greens. Each page covers the nutrients that survive cooking, the ones that do not, and how preparation changes what you absorb.