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?
Root
vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips, are a rich source of
nutritious complex carbohydrates. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levels like
refined sweet foods do, they help regulate them.
Why Eat More Root Veggies?
Long
roots – carrots, parsnips, burdock, and daikon radish – are excellent blood
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 has a
respectable amount of antioxidants.
· Jicama is 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 is 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 fun, easy recipe:
Roasted Root Vegetables
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25-35 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:
· 1 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)
Directions:
· Preheat
oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
· 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 oil. Sprinkle with
salt, pepper, and herbs.
· Bake
uncovered for 25-35 minutes until vegetables are tender and golden brown,
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.
