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If you want to eat more veggies
and indulge in a “comfort food” that’s warming and satisfying, look no further than root vegetables. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and other disease-fighting phytonutrients, these vegetables add powerful nutrition to your diet and delicious flavor to virtually any savory dish.

The most popular root vegetable in the US is the white potato, but I urge you to move beyond this starchy mainstay to some of the other more nutritious options. Below I’ve detailed some of the very best options, including why they’re so phenomenal for your health.

What Are the Healthiest Root Vegetables?

Rutabaga

Rutabaga, a cross between a turnip and a cabbage, is rich in fiber and vitamin C (one cup contains 53% of the daily recommended value). Rutabagas are also members of the cruciferous family of vegetables, which are rich in antioxidants and anti-cancer phytonutrients.

Rutabagas are also an excellent source of potassium, manganese, B vitamins, magnesium, and phosphorus. Rutabagas are also a good source of zinc, which is essential for immune support and may help protect your body from the effects of stress.

As a mild-tasting root vegetable, rutabagas work well roasted or baked, and can serve as a nutrient-rich substitute for potatoes. They can also be eaten raw along with a dip, such as hummus.

Turnip

Turnips are members of the cruciferous family of vegetables, which are nutrient-dense and antioxidant-rich. Turnips contain a type of phytonutrient known as indoles, which may help fight cancer. One type in particular, brassinin, has been shown to kill human colon cancer cells.1 Turnips are also rich in fiber.

Just 100 calories’ worth of turnips can give you 25-40 percent of your daily fiber requirement.
Glucosinolates, which are sulfur-containing compounds found in turnip sprouts, appear to have anti-cancer, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, and antibacterial benefits

Parsnip

These root vegetables resemble carrots but are whitish in color and have a sweet, nutty flavor. Parsnips are rich in nutrients like fiber, folate, potassium, and vitamin C. Eating foods rich in potassium is important because this nutrient helps offset the hypertensive effects of sodium.

An imbalance in your sodium-potassium ratio can lead to high blood pressure and may also contribute to a number of other diseases, including heart disease and stroke.

Onions

Onions are a very good source of vitamins C and B6, iron, folate, and potassium. But it’s their phytochemcials – including the flavonoid quercetin and allyl disulphide – that are most exciting to researchers. To date, onions have shown a wealth of beneficial properties; they’re anti-allergic, anti-histaminic, anti-inflammatory,
and antioxidant,2 all rolled into one.

In particular, onions are especially rich in polyphenol flavonoids called quercetin. Quercetin is an antioxidant that many believe prevent histamine release-making quercetin-rich foods “natural antihistamines.”

Onions also contain numerous anti-cancer compounds, including quercetin, which has been shown to decrease cancer tumor initiation as well as inhibit the proliferation of cultured ovarian, breast, and colon cancer cells.3

In addition, the sulfur compounds in onions are thought to have anti-clotting properties as well as lower cholesterol and triglycerides. The allium and allyl disulphide in onions have also been found to decrease blood vessel stiffness by releasing nitric oxide.

This may reduce blood pressure, inhibit platelet clot formation, and help decrease the risk of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular diseases, and stroke. The quercetin in onions is also beneficial, offering both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may boost heart health.