2 High Value Crops You Must Include in Your Diet

Broccoli is a green vegetable that looks like a mini tree. It belongs to the plant species Brassica oleracea. It is closely linked to cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, and cauliflower – all edible plants commonly referred to as cruciferous vegetables.

Main varieties of broccoli:

• Calabrese broccoli

• Sprouting broccoli

• Purple cauliflower

Broccoli is a powerhouse of nutrition such as minerals, vitamins, fibre, and antioxidants.

The best part is that you don't need to go for organic broccoli. Different fruits and vegetables require few pesticides. As the exposure to pesticides is low with broccoli, it is safe to purchase non-organic broccoli.

Lettuce

The other high-value vegetable is lettuce, which is also closely linked to cabbage. This is a plant from the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is grown as a leaf vegetable, but sometimes for its stem and seeds. Lettuce is also loaded with numerous nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Varieties of Lettuce:

• Butterhead

• Celtuce

• Crisphead

• Loose-leaf

• Romaine lettuce

• Summer crisp

• Lamb lettuce

Suppose you compare the nutritional facts per 100 gms of both high-value crops. In that case, you will find similar nutrition in many vitamins and minerals, and some have more value than others.

Benefits of Broccoli and Lettuce

• Cancer Prevention: Broccoli has cancer-fighting and immune-boosting properties.

It contains properties that decline estrogen, which usually causes cancer in the body.

Researchers advise that broccoli is vigorously good for the prevention of breast and uterus cancer.

Lettuce also helps in the prevention of stomach cancer; one of the world's cancer research reports suggested that non-starchy vegetables can protect from several cancer types, including mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach.

• Cholesterol reduction: Both lettuce and broccoli have zero cholesterol and a good amount of dietary fiber that reduces cholesterol in the body. One research advised that a particular variety of broccoli can reduce LDL cholesterol by 6 percent.

• Enhance bone health and immunity: Vitamin K, A, and C are the three factors that help promote bone health and immunity. Both lettuce and broccoli are rich in all three of them. Vitamin K helps in building cartilage and connective tissues. Vitamin A helps in the development of new bone cells. Vitamin C fights bone depletion, which is one of the factors of aging.

• Suitable for pregnant women: Folate reduces the risk of congenital disabilities, Both lettuce and broccoli contain an ample amount of folate. Both are rich in vitamin K as well; deficiency of vitamin K can cause bleeding during pregnancy. Fiber helps to prevent constipation which is a common problem found in pregnant women.

• Heart health: Both veggies contain fiber, vitamins, and minerals that help to regulate blood pressure. It also reduces bad cholesterol, leading to a healthy heart—broccoli and lettuce help protect blood vessels from damage.

Apart from the above benefits, both veggies are great for eye vision, diet aid, reduce allergic reaction and inflammation, powerful antioxidants, excellent detoxification, anti-aging, and skincare. Both Veggies have incredible benefits for those who add these vegetables to their diet. It's also equally significant for farmers as they get high value for their production.