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COURGETTES and MARROWS Benefits:
Unlike marrows, their larger relatives, courgettes have tender, edible skins, so you can benefit from the nutrients they contain. A lightly boiled 100g portion of courgettes is a good choice for weight watchers as it provides only 19 calories, as apposed to the 63 calories if fried in oil. Yet it contains a quarter of the vitamin C and almost one-sixth of the folate that the adult requires each day, as well as beta carotene, which the body coverts into vitamin A, and potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure. The same portion of courgettes served raw (in a salad, for example) would supply twice as much vitamin C and about a quarter of the daily folate requirement. There is very little nutritional difference between green and yellow courgettes. Marrow is 95.6 percent water. It contains exactly the same nutrients as courgettes, but in smaller quantities. It’s main virtue is it’s low calorie count: a 100g portion of lightly boiled, pale green marrow flesh provides a mere 9 calories. More nutrients are gained if you eat the skin, but it is generally much too tough. |