I LIKE greens but I wonder:

Why is it that rotten vegetables smell so much worse than rotten fruits?
Rotten fruits can smell pretty bad too, but not compared to rotten vegetables.

I don't think it's the sugar content, because carrots are fairly high in sugar. Rotten carrots still smell worse than say rotten cucumbers which are a relatively low-sugar fruit. Could it be the type of sugar?

Could it be the carbs in the fruit? Or is there some other specific something in either the vegetables or the fruits that accounts for the difference?

Or is it just me? Does anybody think rotten vegetables DON'T smell worse than rotten fruits?

This is not meant at all to be disparaging toward vegetables. I'm just curious about the differences between fruits and vegetables and how those differences might relate to their different roles in nature.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2007 04:18AM by suncloud.

My fruit looks moldy and fermented when it goes bad... but that is just the fruit I have bought for the last 25 years. Maybe everyone else has had a different experience.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2007 04:45AM by Rawrrr!.

Also, I think fruit ferments like wine.... so it seems to get a more sour smell.

>Why is it that rotten vegetables smell so much worse than rotten fruits?

Sulfur amino acid content: cysteine and methionine. They are very prone to oxidation, one reason why methionine restriction might be life extending: less garbage (oxidized aminos) in the body. These are the two that are highest in animal foods (which get *really* putrid when they rot), but they are also on the high side in the plant world in the plant structural parts (leaves, stems, and sometimes roots).

You do need some, they are essential and can't be made by the body: you will die without enough methionine and cysteine, which are interconvertible to some extent. You will probably be best off with just enough but without any excess. If only we could figure out exactly how much that might be.

Arugula, you mentioned on another thread, that cysteine and methionine are important for hair growth, and that a deficiency in both of them contribute to hair loss. So, I'm wondering if green drinks can prevent hair loss and promote healthy hair growth?

Sorry to hop off on bunny trails here.

Thanks Rawrrr! and Arugula. That was exactly the kind of information I was looking for.

Arugula, do fruits contain zero methionine or cystein, or do they contain some, but less than vegetables?

Also, what about nuts and seeds?

Do human bodies produce any methionine or cysteine without having to eat it?

Sorry to ask so many questions!

>So, I'm wondering if green drinks can prevent hair loss and promote healthy hair growth?

They are but two of what you need. You also need enough of the other six aminos, along with a variety of vitamins and minerals. It is possible for some highly restrictive diets that are adequate in kcals to be inadequate in essential aminos (for certain fruitarian diets that concentrate of a limited number of sweet fruits), but more often inadequate EAA intake goes hand in hand with inadequate kcal intake. They are hard to separate!

> do fruits contain zero methionine or cystein, or do they contain some, but less than vegetables?

Some, but less. You can see the amino profiles of all foods at [www.nutritiondata.com]

>Also, what about nuts and seeds?

The same, except for brazil nuts, which are an unusually rich source of methionine in the plant world.

>Do human bodies produce any methionine or cysteine without having to eat it?

No, we can't make the essential amino acids, that is why they are called essential. We have to eat enough of them. There is some recycling of what is already present but we also lose a little of our stores every day, which must be replenished regularly.

I am sorry that I didn't previously mention the other sulfur compounds in cruciferous greens: isothiocyanates, indoles and dithiolthiones. These can make them really stinky when you cook them, but they also get stinky when they are just sitting in the fridge uncooked for a few days.

I opened a package of raw turnip greens today, and whoa. It really is best if you grow them yourself and eat them just after picking.

Thanks Arugula! All these little things are important in the big picture.

I agree with Rawrrr! Thanks Arugula. Cruciferous greens really do seem to be the worse when they start to rot, and now we have an explanation!

arugula mentioned

<<indoles and dithiolthiones>>

these are cool compounds
they don't come much cooler and hipper than these two
i remember reading long time ago about how they are in broccoli ( yep, one of the crucies) and how they are strongly anticancerous

hip hip hoooray!! gooooo INDOLES! goooooo DITHIOLTHIONES!!!

Just wondering, can anyone say "indoles and dithiolthiones" 10 times real fast?

actually i can
yep
true story

indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones
indolesNdithiolthiones

eat yer lil haaaaaaaahrrrrt out on that!

chuckle, chuckle, laughing out loud! VERY GOOD LAVERONIQUE! I can't do it.

Oh, sorry, but I don't eat animal products. Luv ya!

Thanks again Arugula and LaVeronique for the information. It always feels good to learn something new.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/21/2007 05:05AM by suncloud.