When you think about healthy eating, salads and green vegetables
usually come to mind. But how about adding a little more variety to your plan?
Roots like carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips, are a rich source of
nutritious complex carbohydrates. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levelslike refined sweet foods do, they help regulate them.
Why Eat More Root Veggies?
Long roots – carrots, parsnips, burdock, and daikon radish – are excellentblood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body.
Round roots – turnips, radishes, beets, and rutabagas – nourish the
stomach, spleen, pancreas, and reproductive organs.
Which root vegetables do you eat most?
If you’re like most of the world, it’s carrots and potatoes. Here are a few
others to explore:
– Beets contain an abundance of antioxidants and are highly detoxifying.
– Burdock is considered a powerful blood purifier. This
long, thin veggie is a staple in Asian and health food stores.
– Celeriac also known as celery root, is rich in fiber and with a
respectable amount of antioxidants.
– Jicamais crunchy and refreshing and contains a generous
amount of vitamin C. It’s a favorite in its native Mexico and South
America.
– Onions are rich in antioxidants and other phytonutrients,
making them prized for their ability to strengthen the immune system.
– Parsnips which look like giant white carrots, boast a sweet, earthy taste. They’ve also got plenty of fiber, vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, thiamine,
magnesium, and potassium.
– Radish an excellent source of vitamin C. It’s also rich in calcium, molybdenum, and folic acid.
– Sweet Potatoes contain unsurpassed levels of beta-carotene and are
also rich in vitamin C, phytonutrients, and fiber.
Excited to add more roots to your diet?
Here’s a colourful and easy recipe:Roasted Root Vegetables
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25-35 minutes
Serves 4 to 61 sweet potato
2 parsnips
2 carrots
2 turnips or 1 large rutabaga
1 daikon radish (or substitute/add in other favorites, like squash)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Herbs: rosemary, thyme or sage (fresh if possible)Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Wash and dice all vegetables into bite-sized cubes.Place in a large baking dish with sides.
Drizzle with olive oil; mix well to coat each vegetable lightly with the
olive oil.
Sprinkle with sea salt or himalayan pink salt , fresh black pepper and
herbs.
Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes until vegetables are tender and goldenbrown, checking every 10 minutes to stir and make sure veggies
are not sticking.
Tip: Any combination of vegetables will work. Roasting only one kind of vegetable also makes a nice side dish.
© 2016, 2017 Integrative Nutrition Inc
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