Low-calorie Cucumbers Offer Little In Nutrients



Q. Being on a strict and, I may add, successful diet, I snack on cucumbers every night. Could you tell me about their nutritional (including caloric) content?

A. Cucumbers are nutritionally unremarkable, providing as they do small amounts of an assortment of vitamins and minerals. They are very low in calories: A whole cupful of slices contains only 14 calories. They are also relatively low in sodium, and do indeed make a good snack food for dieters.

Because you are so fond of cucumbers, you might want to try a low-calorie luncheon dish composed of cucumbers in low-fat yogurt seasoned with a bit of ground coriander, some dried mint and, if you wish, minced green onion or garlic. Add a slice of whole-grain bread, some carrot sticks and an orange, and you have created a nutrient-dense lunch containing a thrifty 275 calories.

Q. Recently you wrote that the so-called Brassica vegetables contain substances that may help to protect against the development of some kinds of cancer. I have two questions. First, I am puzzled because I recall reading that the effect was related to vegetables called ``Cruciferae.`` Second, could you specify which vegetables fall into this category?

A. Cruciferae is the broader category, or family, to which Brassicas belong. These vegetables, also called ``the mustard family,`` produce four-petal flowers suggesting the shape of a cross. The observed association between higher intakes of certain vegetables and decreased risk of some cancers applies to the broader category. But practically speaking, the ones we consume in greatest quantities are the Brassicas, including cabbage, Chinese cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, collards, mustard and cauliflower. Cress, radish and horseradish are other Cruciferae.

Many people resist cooking some of these vegetables because they are unhappy with the kitchen odors they can generate. Several steps can minimize the production of hydrogen sulfide and other sulfides responsible for such odors. First, use enough water to almost cover the vegetables, and make sure the water is boiling before you put them in the pot. Then leave the heat on high to return the water to boiling as quickly as possible. And finally, cook the vegetables only until just tender. Leaving the pan uncovered during cooking permits the volatile acids that do form to escape with the steam -- gone with the wind, so to speak. If cooked covered, the sulfides can give the vegetables an unpleasant scent.

Q. I noticed that a package of cookies I bought the other day was labeled ``low sodium.`` The label said that two cookies contained 80 milligrams of sodium. I remember that recently established regulations specify labeling terms for different salt levels, but I cannot recall what they are. Can you refresh my memory?

A. Under the regulations that went into effect last July, foods containing less than 140 milligrams of sodium per serving may be labeled as ``low sodium.`` Those regulations also specified that foods with no more than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving could be termed ``sodium free.`` Those with up to 35 milligrams of sodium could be labeled ``very low sodium.`` That regulation had two other provisions. Foods prepared with 75 percent of the sodium that normally would be added to that food could be called ``reduced sodium.`` And the term ``unsalted`` could be used on foods normally processed with salt, such as potato chips or pretzels.

Sodium labeling may be used even when the manufacturer chooses not to provide complete nutrition-labeling information. Recently, it has been estimated that sodium labeling now appears on labels of foods accounting for almost 60 percent of grocery-store sales.

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