Obese Brussels Sprouts

[New Judge]

I have just bought some brussels sprouts (fresh, not frozen - can't stand frozen vegetables). They were in a pack (all the loose ones had gone).

Out of interest I read the "healthy eating" guidleines which detail how much of each of the deadly and noxious substances was contained in the sprouts. Of course there is sugar and a trace of salt (which I understand) but to my amazement there was said to be 1.4g of fat in each 100g of sprouts.

No wonder I am putting on weight at an alarming rate.
How on earth do brussels sprouts contain over 1% fat?

[cazzz1975]

hmmm 1.4g is pretty good considering there is about 7g in a mini roll. They are a very healthy vegtable, you will not gain weight from eating sprouts this xmas, its all the other rubbish that will do that

http://www.healthyeatingadvisor.com/sprouts.ht ml

[beerbelly]

That's interesting cazzz , will include them in my new healthy regime .x ...b..b

[New Judge]

Thanks cazzz.

I've been eating them almost as long as I have had teeth and don't blame them for my expanding waistline. It's just that, from a scientific point of view, I cannot understand how they can contain any fat.

[kempie]

Aparently it is not unusual for some green vegetables to contain around 3% "fat" (lipids and fatty acids such as palmitic, linoleic, and linolenic acids), but the value will depend on the method of measurement...

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=Artic leURL&_udi=B6WJH-45S48TX-F&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_f mt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C0000502 21&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=dae 8e7b9d5f8f194f4663b6960f52cf8

[New Judge]

Thanks, kempie.

I was about to tackle Mr Tesco's food analyst and suggest he or she was takling a load of bill hooks. You learn something new every day.

[wildwood]

Now that we know that....... Why can't you stand frozen vegies?? Apart from a few such as carrots, it is almost impossible to taste the diffetence and the frozen ones are generally much healthier for you. Most are snap frozen within 12 hours of harvesting so contain more vitamins than the 'fresh' vegies in the shop.
The longer since harvesting, the less vitamins are left.

Ofcourse, vegies from your own garden can not be beaten - both for taste and health.

[New Judge]

Most frozen vegetables just seem to lose a little something in the process. I grow quite a lot myself and, as you say, they simply cannot be beaten.

As far as sprouts go, I don�t regularly grow them and I�m quite sure I could tell the difference between frozen and unfrozen. Some vegetables (particularly runner beans and cabbage) just taste awful to me if frozen. The only veggies I think do not suffer too much in freezing are peas.

Each to their own, I suppose.

[theprof]

I wonder if you'd allow me to put right a misconception that's arisen from the start with this question.

The link provided by cazzz1975 does indeed discuss sprouts, but these "sprouts" are the newly germinated shoots arising from seeds. Alfalfa is the typical example, but as the article implies, many seeds form nutritious shoots which are perfectly edible. The article has been written by an American and the discussion on broccoli sprouts is a bit misleading as it refers to what we call broccoli florets in the UK, which are not sprouts in the true sense.

Brussels sprouts on the other hand come from a plant that is totally different species from the likes of alfalfa. Brussels sprouts or Brassica oleracea are a member of the cabbage family and bear no comparison nutritionally to any form of sprouting seeds or bean.

As far as the total lipid content goes, I'm sorry to say that the figures given so far have been over the top. The reality is that each 100 grams of raw brussel sprouts contain less than half a gram of total lipids. One of the standard sources for data of this sort is the USDA database which has been available online for a number of years. Here's the link:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

Use as a keyword "brussel sprout", select the bottom option (raw sprouts) and 100g on the following page although you can check the others too. This total lipid content should not be treated too seriously as many of the lipids and associated fatty acids in the total figure do not all play a part in weight gain.

(continued)

[theprof]

So why does Tesco claim there's 1.4g of fat in their product? Well firstly, they're being very conservative about it and tend to stick a bit on due variations that naturally occur because of the seasons and countries which the plant grows in. The figures would be higher in a plant from warmer climes than we currently have in the UK. There is even some variation between varieties. Food retailers tend to work on the basis of better too much than too little when it comes to nutrition information to avoid being criticised by the food watchdogs. Were the figures that were given the raw, uncooked values? Were the vegetables pre-glazed in any way?

As far as Tesco quoting a load of bill hooks goes, you can normally forget about them accepting any criticism over it. All this data comes from scientists who use automated quantitative food analysis methods that are virtually foolproof. It's a specialised science and their data is regarded by the food industry as infallible thanks to modern advances in the technique. Nowadays, food packers and manufacturers even use cut-down versions of the equipment on the production line for spot -checks.

Nevertheless, I've checked through a number of academic online resources tonight and I've been unable to find anything above 0.5 gram per 100g of total lipids (fat) in 100g of Brussels Sprouts. This would seem to point to them owing you an explanation if the sprouts are truly raw as this is almost five times the true figure. I suppose an arithmetical mistake is possible, but they should know better.

[figure]

Considering the health benefits and nutritional value in sprouts, they are worth eating everyday. Deserts and sweets contains more calories and fat.