Leaves, roots, stems, flowers and fruiting vegetables — low in energy, high in fibre, folate, vitamin K, potassium and a very wide range of phytochemicals.
19 foods
Eruca vesicaria
A peppery salad leaf in the mustard family, eaten raw or briefly wilted. Its sharpness comes from isothiocyanates released when…
Asparagus officinalis
The young shoots of a perennial lily relative, harvested in spring. White asparagus is the same plant grown covered so the spears…
Beta vulgaris
The swollen taproot of a cultivated Beta vulgaris, deep red from betalain pigments. It is among the richest dietary sources of…
Capsicum annuum
Non-pungent cultivars of Capsicum annuum, harvested green or left to ripen to red, yellow or orange. Ripening changes their…
Brassica oleracea var. italica
The immature flower heads and stalks of a cultivated Brassica oleracea. It is the most-studied source of glucoraphanin, the…
Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera
Small axillary buds that grow along a thick stalk, another cultivar of Brassica oleracea. Modern varieties have been bred for…
Cucurbita moschata
A winter squash with dense orange flesh and a hard tan skin, stored for months after harvest. Its carotenoid content rises during…
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
A dense-headed Brassica oleracea cultivar, eaten raw, cooked or fermented. Red varieties carry anthocyanins that change colour…
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
The taproot of a cultivated umbellifer, orange in most modern varieties because of selective breeding for carotene. Purple,…
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis
A cultivated Brassica oleracea grown for its dense head of undeveloped flower buds. Its mild flavour and low carbohydrate content…
Apium graveolens
The fibrous leaf stalks of a cultivated umbellifer, eaten raw or used as an aromatic base in cooking. It is mostly water by…
Brassica oleracea var. sabellica
A loose-leaved cabbage that does not form a head, eaten raw in salads or cooked. Like other Brassica oleracea vegetables it…
Allium cepa
The bulb of a cultivated Allium, used as a base flavour in most of the world cuisines. Cutting the bulb releases enzymes that…
Lentinula edodes
A cultivated wood-decay fungus native to East Asia, sold fresh and dried. Drying concentrates its flavour compounds and is how…
Spinacia oleracea
A fast-growing leafy annual in the amaranth family, eaten raw as young leaves or cooked as mature ones. It wilts to a fraction of…
Ipomoea batatas
A starchy storage root in the morning glory family, unrelated to the potato. Flesh colour ranges from white through orange to…
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
A leafy form of the same species as beetroot, grown for its leaves and thick stalks rather than its root. The coloured stems owe…
Solanum lycopersicum
The fruit of a nightshade plant, used culinarily as a vegetable. Its red colour comes from lycopene, which becomes considerably…
Agaricus bisporus
The most widely cultivated mushroom in the world, sold at several stages of maturity under different names. White button, cremini…