{"id":14497,"date":"2025-04-23T16:01:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T20:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/?p=14497"},"modified":"2025-05-06T07:06:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T11:06:33","slug":"the-science-of-vegetables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/the-science-of-vegetables\/","title":{"rendered":"The Science of Vegetables"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Written by: Nicole Majewski<br \/>\nEdited by: Harnoor Chahal<br \/>\nDesigned by: Suhana<span data-sheets-root=\"1\">\u00a0Shaik<\/span><br \/>\nPublished by: Andrew Jackson<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-14498 alignleft\" style=\"font-size: 14px;\" src=\"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-1-3-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-1-3-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-1-3-1024x682.png 1024w, https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-1-3-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-1-3-1536x1023.png 1536w, https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-1-3-1080x720.png 1080w, https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-1-3.png 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">E<\/span>veryone knows vegetables are great for you, but few know exactly why. It\u2019s not just because your parents say so\u2014it\u2019s because vegetables are packed with incredible nutrients that can boost your mood, health, and energy levels! Let\u2019s dive into the science of what exactly makes these plant-based wonders so important.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What exactly is a vegetable?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-14499 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-2-3-300x225.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"338\" height=\"254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-2-3-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-2-3-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-2-3-510x382.png 510w, https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-2-3.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 338px) 100vw, 338px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You might think you know the answer, but the term actually encompasses a very specific range of plant parts, and there\u2019s been a lot of misconception about what meets that criteria. The Cambridge dictionary defines a vegetable as \u201ca plant, root, seed, or pod that is used as food, especially in dishes that are not sweet\u201d. More specifically, vegetables are the edible portions of plants, including leaves (like spinach), stems (like celery), roots (like carrots), tubers (like potatoes), bulbs (like onions), and flowers (like broccoli).\u200b The reason it can be so difficult to precisely classify vegetables is because the botanical traits of them tend to overlap between so many other types of plants. But let\u2019s not overthink it for now; just know that a vegetable is an edible plant or one of its parts (like a root, stem, or leaf).<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>What isn\u2019t a vegetable?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-14500 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/unnamed-8.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"409\" height=\"272\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Again, let\u2019s not worry too much about distinguishing vegetables from non-vegetables\u2014but just for fun, let\u2019s clarify a few common items that definitely don\u2019t make the list. Here are some common impersonators:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tomatoes: Believe it or not, these kitchen staples scientifically can\u2019t be considered vegetables, mostly because they have seeds, meaning they belong to the fruit family.<\/li>\n<li>Cucumbers: Just like tomatoes, cucumbers are fruits, packed with seeds. So, the old rule of \u201canything green is a vegetable\u201d doesn&#8217;t always hold up.<\/li>\n<li>Olives: You guessed it\u2014olives are fruits too! They contain seeds too, but more notably, grow from the flowers of olive trees.<\/li>\n<li>Celery: This one isn\u2019t actually a vegetable or a fruit. It\u2019s grouped in with other stem and leaf crops that, in a manner of speaking, aren\u2019t quite leafy enough to be considered vegetables.<\/li>\n<li>Mushrooms: Not only are theynot vegetables, but they\u2019re not fruits, either. In fact, they\u2019re not plants at all! They belong to the fungi kingdom, which is entirely distinct from our world of spinach and broccoli.<\/li>\n<li>Corn: Although it\u2019s often grouped with vegetables, corn is actually a grain! It makes sense when you think about it, at least.<\/li>\n<li>Peas: They take \u201chaving seeds\u201d one step further, because they really just are seeds. Specifically, of legumes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now that you have a strong foundation of what\u2019s what, let\u2019s zero back in on veggies.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">What\u2019s so special about vegetables?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The reason vegetables are often seen as the ultimate health food is that they\u2019re so uniquely high in the vitamins and minerals that your body needs to thrive. They\u2019re nature\u2019s vitamin supplements (though research suggests they\u2019re actually much more beneficial than any kind of multivitamin gummy). While each vegetable varies hugely in its specific nutritional content, they\u2019re generally\u2014especially relative to fruits, for example\u2014high in vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, and iron. So when you\u2019re munching on a juicy baby carrot, all the vitamins are being absorbed into your blood, ready to be stored and nourish the countless physiological structures and systems that rely on them.<\/p>\n<p>You might have read through that, nodding but mostly wondering what all of those complicated words actually mean for you. Each of these vitamins serve different functions\u2014for example, vitamin A supports your eye health, whereas vitamin C helps properly heal cuts, scrapes, and other wounds\u2014but in simple terms, these vitamins help your insides, make you feel livelier and healthier on the outside.<\/p>\n<p>Now that you know all about the botany, biology, and biochemistry of vegetables, you\u2019re ready to impress everyone you know with your scientific knowledge!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>References<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAre Olives a Vegetable? | Different varieties | Oliviers &amp; Co.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oliviers &amp; Co<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, https:\/\/oliviersandco.com\/blog\/olivesvegetable. Accessed 4 April 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loring, Vanessa. \u201cSlices of Fruits Beside Green Vegetables \u00b7 Free Stock Photo.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pexels<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 23 November 2020, https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/slices-of-fruits-beside-green-vegetables-5965658\/. Accessed 4 April 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cVEGETABLE | English meaning &#8211; Cambridge Dictionary.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cambridge Dictionary<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, https:\/\/dictionary.cambridge.org\/dictionary\/english\/vegetable. Accessed 4 April 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cVitamins: Their Functions and Sources.\u201d <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MyHealth Alberta<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, https:\/\/myhealth.alberta.ca\/Health\/pages\/conditions.aspx?hwid=ta3868. Accessed 6 April 2025.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wikimedia Commons. \u201cFagopyrum esculentum stem root.\u201d https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Fagopyrum_esculentum_stem_root_jp.jpg.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Everyone knows vegetables are great for you, but few know exactly why. It\u2019s not just because your parents say so\u2014it\u2019s because vegetables are packed with incredible nutrients that can boost your mood, health, and energy levels! Let\u2019s dive into the science of what exactly makes these plant-based wonders so important.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[27,24],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14497"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14497"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14588,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14497\/revisions\/14588"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seeds.ca\/schoolfoodgardens\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}