Root vegetables – why eat them everyday?
The root of plants may not be its most attractive part, but its nutritional value is a whole other story! As it absorbs all the minerals and water in the soil that it’s growing in, you can already figure out how rich they are in important nutrients. To top it off, they are rather tasty too!
Locally, we can get a variety of root vegetables to enjoy, and some of the more popular ones are potatoes, celeriac, carrots, turnips, beetroot, as well as sweet potatoes. Here are a few reasons why you should include a different one each time in your daily diet.
- Easily available: You can find them not only at your favourite fresh market, but every supermarket should also have them in their produce aisle. These veggies hardly ever run out, and you can get them all year around here in Malaysia.
- Helps to prevent constipation: As root vegetables are exceptionally fibrous, they are gut-healthy and will help to keep you ‘regular’. They are also rich in prebiotic fibres as well, which helps to feed the good bacteria in your gut. And as we all know, a healthy gut leads to a healthy body! So, have you had your share of root vegetables today?
- Very nutritious: As the part of the plant that absorbs all the nutrients from the ground, root vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals (including potassium and magnesium), and phytonutrients that our bodies need to thrive.They are also rich in beta carotene, B vitamins as well as Vitamin C.
- Protects your heart: This is no surprise; veggies protect the heart. However, most people think of their more watery veggies like kale, cucumbers, spinach and celery when they are thinking of heart health. Root vegetables can also prevent against heart disease as they are higher in potassium, lower in sodium and have a great amount of fiber per bite.
- Rich in soluble and insoluble fibre. These fibres aid in boosting our gut bacteria and in lowering high levels of blood fats and blood glucose, besides reducing the risk of Type-2 diabetes, heart disease and bowel cancer, when eaten as part of a healthy diet.
