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“Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

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Re: “Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

#11

Post by aszantu »

Buttons840 wrote: post #7

I wanted to say something in favor of sweet potatoes, so did some research: [0] says: The best lettuce has 2.5mg of beta-carotene in 47g of lettuce. The best sweet potato has 31mg of beta-carotene in 328g of sweet potato (sweet potatoes are the beta-carotene leader BTW :strong:). If this modified lettuce can really have 30 times as much beta-carotene, that's a significant amount. I was expecting the numbers to show t…

came to say that sweet potato has high levels of oxolates, if your gut doesn't work properly that can cause all kinds of things

Re: “Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

#12

Post by hagbard_c »

goda90 wrote: post #5
TheRealPomax wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who is "we"? Because that sounds like a highly localized problem specific to the North American continent.

Higher atmospheric CO2 is actually causing this all around the world. Faster, bigger plants with less nutrient density.

How then did the Plioocene megafauna grow so large if the plants they consumed were 'faster, bigger [...] with less nutrient density'?

https://www.rmets.org/event/pliocene-last-time-earth-had-400...

The last time carbon dioxide was so plentiful in our planet's atmosphere was in the Pliocene era, around 3 million years ago. Life on Earth was dominated by giant mammals; humans and chimps had shared their last common ancestor. Although the sun's force was about the same, the sea levels were 15 metres higher and Arctic summer temperatures were 14 degrees higher than the present day.

No, this is not yet another 'climate change' thing no matter how much you want to pull that concept into the discussion. It is a large-scale 'industrial' agriculture thing with crops which have been bred for fast growth on relatively mineral-poor soil using simple nitrogen fertiliser instead of manure from pasture-raised livestock.

Re: “Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

#14

Post by wcoenen »

hagbard_c wrote: post #12
goda90 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Higher atmospheric CO2 is actually causing this all around the world. Faster, bigger plants with less nutrient density.

How then did the Plioocene megafauna grow so large if the plants they consumed were 'faster, bigger [...] with less nutrient density'? https://www.rmets.org/event/pliocene-last-time-earth-had-400... The last time carbon dioxide was so plentiful in our planet's atmosphere was in the Pliocene era, around 3 million years ago. Life on Earth was dominated by giant mammals; humans and chimps had shared their last common an…

The same amount of nutrients can be had from plants with lower nutrient density. One simply has to consume more of the plants.

Re: “Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

#15

Post by lupusreal »

adrian_b wrote: post #8
everyone wrote: post #2

This is a good idea imo. Cus we grow vegetables so big and fast nowadays they end with with less nutrients in them by volume.

I do not see much value in a golden lettuce, because nothing stops you to eat one carrot every day, which will provide enough beta-carotene. Moreover, the carrot is certainly cheaper, because it is not patented and it is available from a myriad of sources. Also a boiled carrot is unlikely to cause any health problems, while raw lettuce periodically causes disease outbreaks, so it is not a good choice for a staple foo…

Even without the patent angle, carrots are cheaper than regular lettuce. They're one of the cheapest foods there is. And they are trivial to add to any meal, just put a carrot on the plate. It doesn't need anything else like all the stuff thrown into salads to make lettuce appealing. And everybody likes carrots, even kids who normally complain about vegetables will happily eat carrots.

Re: “Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

#16

Post by tourmalinetaco »

Buttons840 wrote: post #10
Buttons840 wrote: post #7

I wanted to say something in favor of sweet potatoes, so did some research: [0] says: The best lettuce has 2.5mg of beta-carotene in 47g of lettuce. The best sweet potato has 31mg of beta-carotene in 328g of sweet potato (sweet potatoes are the beta-carotene leader BTW :strong:). If this modified lettuce can really have 30 times as much beta-carotene, that's a significant amount. I was expecting the numbers to show t…

Oh, also, if you want a stupidly easy way to eat sweet potatoes, cut one up into bite sized chunks and cook it at 350 fahrenheit for 45 minutes or longer (it won't burn easily at that temperature). No need to remove the skin, but wash it first. They aren't bad even plain. This is an easy no-preperation-necessary to get at least 1 veggie.

I love baked sweet potato fries. I don’t care if they tend to be softer, that natural sweetness is just so good.

Re: “Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

#18

Post by zemvpferreira »

Buttons840 wrote: post #10
Buttons840 wrote: post #7

I wanted to say something in favor of sweet potatoes, so did some research: [0] says: The best lettuce has 2.5mg of beta-carotene in 47g of lettuce. The best sweet potato has 31mg of beta-carotene in 328g of sweet potato (sweet potatoes are the beta-carotene leader BTW :strong:). If this modified lettuce can really have 30 times as much beta-carotene, that's a significant amount. I was expecting the numbers to show t…

Oh, also, if you want a stupidly easy way to eat sweet potatoes, cut one up into bite sized chunks and cook it at 350 fahrenheit for 45 minutes or longer (it won't burn easily at that temperature). No need to remove the skin, but wash it first. They aren't bad even plain. This is an easy no-preperation-necessary to get at least 1 veggie.

Great idea but I hope you dont mind if I’ll do you one better: cook that same potato in a closed container (could be a bowl with a dish on top) in the microwave on high for 4 minutes. It’ll be almost as delicious, maybe more nutritious, for 1/10 the time and electricity.

Re: “Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

#19

Post by dghughes »

gadflyinyoureye wrote: post #4
everyone wrote: post #2

This is a good idea imo. Cus we grow vegetables so big and fast nowadays they end with with less nutrients in them by volume.

A large part of the problem in the us is soil depletion. We need to regenerate it by allowing roots of various weeds to pull nutrients up to the surface.

Climate change too. Even weeds people don't or can't eat have less nutrients in them. That's quite disturbing plants are not as nutritious but you can't tell that by looking at them.

Re: “Golden Lettuce” is genetically engineered to have higher beta-carotene levels

#20

Post by tourmalinetaco »

wahern wrote: post #9
singlow wrote: post #6

I see the title was fixed here. The original said 30x more vitamins, but it is only beta-carotene. They created a version of lettuce that has a little more beta carotene than Kale, basically, but not as nutrient dense in any other way.

On the other hand, kale is goitrogenic. With two little kids I like to make sure they get a good mix of vegetables which aren't all from the cabbage family. I'm lucky living in California; my local Safeway has all kinds of fresh vegetables, including various (non-cruciferous) lettuce greens, year round, but in many other places in the U.S. it's just iceberg plus cruciferous vegetables for long stretches.

Growing salad greens is probably one of the best things one can do for themselves. Why spend $5 for a pound of salad greens when you can buy 2-3lbs of seeds for that price? Which, speaking of, cheapest I’ve found for bulk seeds are GreenCover, does anyone know of any other companies selling that cheap?
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