The vegetable world is so diverse that its representatives, belonging to the same family and even similarly externally, can radically differ in the way they are used. Before making a choice between "tops or roots", it is necessary to find out what kind of garden culture we are talking about.
Mangold - what is this?
Beets (common, sugar, fodder) and chard are of common ancestor - wild beets growing in the Mediterranean. Regardless of origin, these vegetable crops are in fact antipodes, the first is cultivated for root crops, and the second - for the sake of leaves and petioles. Beetroot was most popular in ancient Russia and became a traditional dish of the Russian table, whereas chard, whose benefits and harm were studied back in ancient times, has always been "European", then appearing in the ration of Russians, then again abandoned to oblivion.
Mangold is a herbaceous two-year-old plant. He does not tolerate severe frosts. However, its non-edible roots will easily overwinter in a mild climate that will allow you to enjoy delicious juicy greens in early spring. Beautiful bushes with large smooth or carved leaves, gathered in dense bundles, and bright multicolored petioles (red, yellow, white, silvery) make this plant a real adornment of the garden plots.
Mangold - composition
Beauty is not the only virtue of this plant. The reason for growing chard is the nutritional value of its petioles and leaves (it is not without reason that it is known as "leaf beet"). 100 g of this product contains:
- proteins: 1.8 g;
- carbohydrates 3,7 g;
- fats 0.2 g;
- dietary fiber 1.6 g;
- water 92.7 g;
- ash 1.6 g.
A more detailed analysis of the composition makes it possible to understand what is useful for chard.
- Microelements (potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus).
- Microelements (iron, manganese, copper, selenium, zinc).
- Fatty acids ( omega-3 and omega-6).
- Saturated fatty acids.
- Monounsaturated fatty acid is omega-9.
- Linoleic and linolenic acids.
Vitamins:
- A (RE);
- alpha-carotene;
- beta-carotene:
- lutein, zeaxanthin;
- vitamins of group B ;
- C (ascorbic acid);
- E (alpha tocopherol, TE);
- K (phylloquinone);
- RR (NE).
How to use chard?
Chard is divided into varieties grown for the sake of leaves, and varieties, the advantage of which are petioles. From the sheet chard, you can prepare a delicious green salad, you can cook soup using leaves instead of cabbage, or make cabbage rolls. Another thing cherepkovy chard, as there are its stems, not many know. These fleshy juicy tops should be exposed to a short heat treatment: boil, stew, you can even marinate, like cucumbers.
Mangold - benefit
Due to low caloric content, chard, whose useful properties are due to the content of substances important for the human body and vitamins, is indispensable for dietary nutrition and weight reduction. Eating this vegetable:
- provides the body with antioxidants;
- protects the liver from toxins;
- increases immunity;
- reduces the level of sugar in diabetes;
- stimulates the work of the reproductive system, recommended to women in the menopausal period;
- useful in anemia;
- improves the skin condition, slows down the aging process;
- strengthens bones, is recommended to women (for the prevention of osteoporosis ) and children;
- is the best prophylaxis of vitamin deficiency.
Mangold - contraindications
An overdose of vitamins damages the health. In the case of the vegetable culture of Mangold, vitamin K can cause harm, the content of which almost 7 times exceeds the daily norm. This vitamin, which increases the viscosity of blood and its coagulability, is necessary for rapid stopping of bleeding. As a result, chard, the benefit and harm of which are scientifically substantiated, is contraindicated in patients with thrombophlebitis and varicose veins.