the awesome artichoke

I scored four very reasonably-priced artichokes at the co-op last weekend, and have been devouring them here and there all weekend. Like many, I assume that something that tastes spectacular MUST not be all that good for me . . . so I had to look up nutrition facts for an artichoke. As a vegetable, I assume they are relatively low in calories, but I was more curious about vitamin/mineral content. I discovered, courtesy of Wikipedia:

Artichoke, cooked boiled, salted
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 50 kcal 220 kJ
Carbohydrates 11.95 g
- Sugars 0.99 g
- Dietary fiber 8.6 g
Fat 0.34 g
Protein 2.89 g
Thiamin (Vit. B1) 0.05 mg 4%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.089 mg 6%
Niacin (Vit. B3) 0.111 mg 1%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.240 mg 5%
Vitamin B6 0.081 mg 6%
Folate (Vit. B9) 89 μg 22%
Vitamin C 7.4 mg 12%
Calcium 21 mg 2%
Iron 0.61 mg 5%
Magnesium 42 mg 11%
Phosphorus 73 mg 10%
Potassium 276 mg 6%
Zinc 0.4 mg 4%
Manganese 0.225 mg

Sweet! Folate and other B-vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, phosphorus, a little calcium and iron, fiber, and a little protein, too!

I love veggies.