Let's continue our Chinese food journey! We need to have something vegetable since we had lamb last time. I would like to introduce you a Chinese leafy green vegetable to you - stir fried Yu Choy.
Yu choy is also known as the Chinese oil vegetable, because Yu Choy seed can be pressed into vegetable oil. Yu Choy belongs to the brassica vegetable family, which includes broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, etc. It tastes slightly bitter, but stir frying can complement some of the bitter taste. The texture of Yu Choy is very crunchy due to the high fiber content. Personally, I like stir fired Yu Choy the most, but it can also be cooked some other ways such as steaming, adding it to your soup, adding to your green smoothie, and to your quiche in place of spinach. I have never eaten it raw and I am not planning to try because of the bitterness. You can find Yu Choy in most Asian markets.
This is what it looks like before cooking:
Let's get into the exciting part - the nutritional benefit of Yu Choy. A bunch of Yu Choy doesn't weigh much, but is loaded with nutrients. It is a nutrient dense vegetable. In other words, it has high nutritional value, and low calories. Since Yu Choy belongs to the Brassica family, it shares many health benefits with brassica family vegetables.
The top nutrients associated with Yu Choy include:
- High in phytochmiclas such as carotenoids and flavonoids, which are studied to have a health benefit in preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome. Flavonoids help extend the benefit of vitamin C, which act as antioxidants to prevent LDL from being oxidized (like I mentioned in this post). Other than preventing oxidation, flavonoids can also prevent platelet aggregation in order to prevent blood clotting in your vessels.
- High in fiber. It is recommended to consume 25 g to 35 g of fiber daily, depending on your weight and gender. Insoluble fiber helps to better regulate intestinal health and soluble fiber helps to prevent cardiovascular diseases by lowering LDL levels in blood.
- High in calcium. Yu Choy along with other brassica vegetables contain a high amount of calcium. You may worry about the bioavailability of calcium in vegetables. In other words, you have raised a question: how much calcium can we actually absorb from eating Yu Choy? Yu Choy is similar to Bok Choy in terms of calcium content and bioavailability. Here is a table showing calcium bioavailablity in different food sources:
In term of absorption percentage, bok choy, broccoli, and kale, who are from the brassica vegetable family beats milk, the go-to-source for calcium. You can get natural calcium from brassica vegetables, and it absorbs better.
- High in Vitamin K. Vitamin K is important in protecting skin from aging. It is also needed for blood clotting in order to decrease the risk of excessive bleeding.
- High in Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant to prevent free radicals from damaging out cells. Vitamin C is also involved in the collagen synthesis, which help us develop healthy skin. Vitamin A is best know for vision development.
- High in iron. To improve the bioavailability of iron from brassica vegetables in general, consume foods high in vitamin C along with these vegetables. Having a glass of orange juice with your vegetables or mixing vegetables with citrus fruit in your smoothies are all good methods of improving iron absorption from brassica vegetables.
Nutrition Facts for one cup of Yu Choy:
References:
- Overfied, T. Biological Variation in Health and Illness: Race, age, and Sex Differences. CPC Press. 1995: 102-103.
The Serious Eats Field Guide to Asian Greens. Serious Eats Web Site. http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/05/asian-green-guide.html Published May 15th, 2014. Accessed November 2nd, 2014.
Brassica Family. Alive Web Site. http://www.alive.com/articles/view/16701/brassica_family Published September 2000. Accessed November 2nd, 2014.
Yu Choy. Daily Burn Tracker Web Site. http://tracker.dailyburn.com/nutrition/yu_choy_calories. Accessed November 2nd, 2014.
Yu Choy. Daily Burn Tracker Web Site. http://tracker.dailyburn.com/nutrition/yu_choy_calories. Accessed November 2nd, 2014.
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