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Crystal iceberg is a relatively niche vegetable. It has a unique charm, with "little ice crystals" growing all over its leaves. In recent years, it has gradually entered the public's field of vision and become a new favorite on the table. I bet:Many people have never seen ice plant, let alone eaten it.

In this article, we will explore the nutritional value of ice plant and tell you how to eat it.

Ice plant, also known as ice leaf ice plant, ice flower and African ice grass, is an annual herb of the genus Ice plant in the Aizoaceae family. It has a large number of large bubble-like cells on its leaves and stems. The cells are filled with liquid and look like sparkling water droplets. Under the sun, they reflect light like ice crystals, so they are called ice plants.

Ice plant is native to arid areas such as the Namib Desert in South Africa, so it is cold-resistant, drought-resistant, and salt-alkali-resistant. It can grow in high-salt soil and on beaches, and can safely overwinter even in high-altitude areas with temperatures as low as -45℃ in winter.

Ice plant can improve soil salinization (soil salinization will reduce the water absorption capacity of plants, resulting in plant growth inhibition, and in severe cases, plant death). It can absorb and accumulate salt from the soil, and can reduce soil salinity after harvesting. This is because ice plant is a salt-secreting plant, and under saline conditions, it can discharge the absorbed excess salt into ice crystal-like vacuoles through the salt glands densely distributed on the surface of the stems and leaves, thus forming "small blisters" visible to our naked eyes, which also look like thin ice crystals.

Because ice vegetable has such characteristics, it has a very unique taste.If you grab a handful of ice plant and put it in your mouth to chew, it tastes very refreshing, tender and crispy, cool as if the ice plant is melting in your mouth, and has a light salty taste.

Ice plant is a rare vegetable and is therefore considered the "noble" one among vegetables. Its price is also relatively high, generally around 20 yuan per catty. Although it is not common on the daily table, its nutritional value is still relatively high. It is rich in natural plant salts, amino acids, carotene, flavonoids, inositol, pinitol and other substances. It has a light salty taste and a water content of up to 95%. It tastes refreshing and can quench thirst and supplement nutrition.

The vitamin C content of iceberg lettuce is 20.8 mg/100 g, which is 2 to 10 times higher than the lettuce, rapeseed, and lettuce we often eat. The key is that it can be eaten raw directly, and the vitamin C is better preserved.

Iceberg lettuce contains beta-carotene, which is not rich, but higher than the lettuce we often eat. This ingredient is not only good for our eye health, but also helps maintain skin health.

The potassium and magnesium content of ice vegetable is excellent among vegetables. The potassium content is as high as 1825 mg/100 g, which is 7 times that of banana; the magnesium content is as high as 137 mg/100 g, which is higher than that of Chinese cabbage, spinach, amaranth, lettuce, and lettuce.

This means that eating 100 grams of ice plant can meet 91% of the average population's daily potassium needs and 42% of the magnesium needs.Adequate intake of potassium and magnesium helps us control blood pressure and maintain cardiovascular health.

However, ice plant can absorb and accumulate salt in the soil during its growth process, so the sodium content is naturally not low, as high as 2965 mg/100 g, which is equivalent to nearly 7 grams of sodium salt in every 100 grams of ice plant.The sodium content of common green leafy vegetables generally does not exceed 100 mg/100 g. Although some literature mentions that the salt content in ice vegetable is low-sodium salt, low-sodium salt is beneficial for patients with diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia.But we still need to remind everyone that people with high blood pressure should still be careful and try to eat it. If there is ice vegetable in the meal, do not eat other salty foods.

Some researchers have also used ice plants to make sports drinks, taking advantage of the high natural sodium and potassium content in ice plants, which can replenish the body's needs without adding additional potassium and sodium salts.Electrolytes。

When it comes to calcium supplementation, what we often think of is drinking more milk. In fact, the intake of green leafy vegetables cannot be ignored when it comes to calcium supplementation.

They contain vitamin K, which is good for bones. Although the calcium content is not as good as milk in absorption rate, many green leafy vegetables have good calcium content. For example, the calcium content of rapeseed, wolfberry leaves, kale, Chinese cabbage, beet leaves, and green radish leaves exceeds 100 mg/100 g, which is higher than ordinary milk. The calcium content of ice vegetable is even higher, at 288 mg/100 g, which is 2.5 times that of Chinese cabbage.

The iron absorption rate of plant foods is not as good as that of animal foods, usually not exceeding 5%, but for vegetables with high iron content, they are still helpful in supplementing iron.

The iron content of ice vegetable is quite good, even richer than spinach, which is known to have a high iron content. It contains 17.6 mg/100 g, which is 6 times that of spinach. In addition, it is rich in vitamin C which can promote the absorption and utilization of iron.

Zinc deficiency in the body may lead to picky eating and pica, affect brain function, wound healing, male fertility, make people susceptible to respiratory infections, and induce ADHD, hair loss, rough skin, etc.

The zinc content of ice vegetable is very high, at 33.9 mg/100 g, which is 30 or even 60 times that of ordinary vegetables. The zinc content of celery leaves, cowpea, rapeseed and coriander we usually eat is only 1.14 mg/100 g, 0.94 mg/100 g, 0.87 mg/100 g, and 0.35 mg/100 g respectively.

The daily zinc requirement for healthy adult men and women in my country is 12 mg/day and 8.5 mg/day respectively, which can be met by eating just 50 grams of ice plant.

The main component of ice plant flavonoids is quercetin, which can help us eliminate excess free radicals in the body, play an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory role, improve the body's condition, enhance immune function, delay aging, protect cardiovascular health, and inhibit tumor growth.

In addition, ice plant contains 16 kinds of amino acids, with glutamate being the highest, so it has a strong umami flavor and is delicious when eaten raw.

Ice plant can be eaten raw after washing, or it can be stir-fried or made into soup. It is often used as a side dish for various dishes, such as Japanese and French cuisine, and is a high-end ingredient for Western food in hotels.

Among them, eating it raw can maximize the retention of the nutritional components of ice vegetable, and it tastes good, fresh, juicy and cool, slightly sour and lightly salty, and can maintain its unique appearance with "ice crystals", which looks very appetizing; if you don't like to eat it directly, you can also mix it with cold salad, dip it in sauce, stir-fry it, make soup, etc.

Summarize:

Icebergia is a vegetable that "speaks for itself". It tastes crisp and refreshing and quenches thirst. It is best to buy a small amount at a time and eat it up as soon as possible. First, it is expensive; second, it is not resistant to storage. Generally, it can be stored for 5 to 7 days under refrigerated conditions of 0 to 5 degrees Celsius.