Zucchini Facts
It may be at the end of the alphabet, but zucchini facts say it's right at the top of the taste list.
• Zucchini is a summer squash, a bit on the small side. It is generally green, light green or yellow, and its shape is similar to that of a cucumber. Although cooked and eaten as a vegetable, the zucchini, facts state, is actually a fruit that is not yet mature. The part you eat is the ovary area of the female flower.
• Zucchini's ancestry traces to Mexico, from about 7000 BCE. It was also used in England, France and Ireland, and was first used in the United States around the 1920's. Historians believe it was first grown in California, once it reached the U.S.
• One cup of chopped zucchini, facts say, contains only 20 calories, and has 35% of your RDA for Vitamin C, and 14% of your RDA of Vitamin B6. Zucchini is also a source of potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron.
• Zucchini contains extracts that can help men who have BPH, which is sometimes called enlarging of the prostate. These extracts in zucchini can reduce the symptoms of BPH.
• Many of the nutrients in zucchini are helpful in preventing diabetic heart disease and atherosclerosis, and its magnesium can help reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack. Add the potassium also found in zucchini, facts confirm, and you also have a vegetable that helps lower high blood pressure.
• The fiber in zucchini helps keep toxins that cause cancer away from cells in your colon. Folate, beta-carotene and Vitamin C aid in protecting the same cells from dangerous chemicals that can cause colon cancer. All of these vitamins and nutrients are also antioxidants, so they have properties which cause rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and asthma to be less severe, by cutting down on the swelling and inflammation.
• To select a zucchini, remember they are at their peak of flavor in the months of late spring. Pick a smaller zucchini, anywhere from two to eight inches long, with unblemished, smooth skins. The rinds should be firm but not hard, since that would indicate over-ripening, and they will have stringy flesh and hard seeds. Select zucchini of average size. Overly-large zucchini may be fibrous and tough, and very small ones may have less flavor.
• Zucchini, facts state, is a fragile gourd, and needs to be handled carefully to avoid punctures or bruises. It will keep for about seven days in your refrigerator, unwashed. You can freeze zucchini, but it makes the fleshy part a lot softer if you do.
Here are a couple recipe ideas to incorporate zucchini into your diet:
• Slice a zucchini and roast with sliced onions, season to taste for a great side dish.
• Add zucchini to stews or soups, along with basil, garlic and tomatoes.