SPINACH loves supermarket lights. In fact, levels of vitamin C, folate, vitamin E, lutein and zeaxanthin all increased after spinach had spent a few days in storage under continuous light, according to a study by the Agricultural Research Service in the U.S. in 2010. For the same reason, don’t throw away the external leaves on vegetables such as cabbage or iceberg lettuce. These are exposed to the most light, so they can contain up to five times more carotenes – antioxidants that help protect the body against disease – than leaves in the middle.
Meanwhile, keep cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli in a vegetable rack. These cruciferous vegetables contain important cancer-fighting compounds called glucosinolates – and a 2013 study from Rice University in Texas found that exposing them to light, even after they’ve been harvested, increases levels of these. The theory is that glucosinolates are part of the plants’ defence against insects or heat, with light acting as a signal to release them.
© Daily Mail
