Artichokes

Artichokes: Related Foods

Alfalfa sprouts are a member of the pea family.

Almost any seed that is endowed with the potential for the next generation of life is "sproutable". When a seed is sprouted, much of the stored nutrients burst into the sprout, making it a wealth of health-giving substances.

Estimated Glycemic Load=0
Antioxidant Score (ORAC)=1,510

Artichokes

Artichokes are a European staple with more than 40 varieties in existence. The delicate and delicious vegetable is actually an unopened flower bud from a thistle-like plant called Cynara scolymus.

The vegetable flowers are picked and eaten before they turn into a “real” flower and consists of three parts. The overlapping outer leaves are tough and inedible at the tip, but fleshy and tender at the base, the inedible choke, or thistle, which is enclosed within a light-colored cone of immature leaves, and the round, firm-fleshed base called the "heart".

Artichokes are rich in fiber, magnesium and vitamin C, as well as a phytonutrient called luteolin that may help to reduce cholesterol.

Glycemic Index=15
Glycemic Load=0
Antioxidant Score (ORAC)=6,552

Asparagus

A member of the lily family, the edible part of this ultimate "luxury" vegetable is actually the young underground sprout or shoot.

Asparagus is an excellent source of vitamin A, and a good source of folate, thiamin, riboflavin, copper and vitamin C. The National Cancer Institute has noted that asparagus is the food highest in glutathione—a powerful detoxifying enzyme, produced by the liver.

Glycemic Index=15
Glycemic Load=0
Antioxidant Score (ORAC)=2,150