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What happens to your body when you eat turnips

Turnips are a healthy root vegetable that provides antioxidants and vitamins. You can enjoy young turnips raw or cook larger turnips to enjoy them in many ways you could use potatoes.

1. Provide Antioxidants to Reduce Health Risks

Turnips contain antioxidants, compounds that promote overall health and well-being. Like other vegetables Brassicaceae Or Cruciferous family – like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage – turnips are a rich source of sulforaphane And glucosinolates.

These plant-based compounds have many health benefits and may help prevent chronic diseases associated with oxidative stress (an imbalance between destructive free radical molecules and antioxidants in cells).

Eating turnips may help manage type 2 diabetes and protect against certain types of cancer while reducing the risk of heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease.

2. Are a Nutritious Powerhouse and Alternative to Potatoes

Like other powerful vegetables and superfoods, turnips can help people stay healthy. The Centers for Disease Control classifies turnips as a Power Fruit and Vegetable (PFV) because they contain 10% or more of the 17 qualifying nutrients in a 100-calorie serving.

Nutritional value of turnip (individual serving)
Energy 36.4 kilocalories (kcal)
Water 119 grams (g)
Carbohydrates 8.36g
Total sugars 4.94g
Fiber 2.34g
Protein 1.17g
Total lipids (fats) 0.13g
Sodium 87.1 milligrams (mg)
Calcium 39 mg
Phosphorous 35.1 mg
Vitamin C 27.3 mg
Choline 14.4 mg
Magnesium 14.3 mg
1 cup raw, cubed (130 g)

Turnips are a healthy alternative to potatoes because they can be used in many ways that potatoes are used. They are lower in calories and contain fewer carbohydrates.

3. Raw turnips are higher in vitamin C but can affect digestion

Turnips can be eaten raw. However, they generally taste better raw when they are younger and smaller. Younger “baby turnips” are smaller and sweeter than larger, older ones, which tend to be more bitter and peppery, with a more radish-like flavor.

More vitamin C is preserved in raw turnips: 27.3 mg per cup raw versus 18.1 mg cooked.

Although eating raw vegetables may improve bowel health and bowel movements in some people, in others, eating raw vegetables may cause stomach pain or worsen irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) due to their fiber content.

Cooked turnips of any age or size can be used in a variety of dishes and prepared in many ways. Cooking turnips can also give them more flavor.

Creative Ways to Eat More Turnips

Turnips come in several varieties. The most common turnip looks like a heart-shaped bulb that is white on the bottom and purple on top. Giant white turnips resemble rutabaga and are often covered in wax after harvest to create a vapor barrier that seals in moisture and extends shelf life. To use the turnips:

  • Turnips can be enjoyed raw, pickled, boiled, roasted, mashed, simmered, pureed, added to soups, or prepared almost the same way you would potatoes.
  • When preparing turnips, start by peeling the skin, cutting off the base root, and removing the celery-like stalks and broad leaves, if they are still attached.
  • Not all grocers sell turnips with their leaves intact. If your turnips have green stems, don’t throw them away. Turnip greens are very nutritious and can be stir-fried or steamed like other leafy greens like spinach.
  • Smaller, sweeter turnips can be cut into quarters and eaten raw like an apple. Raw turnips can be sliced ​​or diced and used in salads. Raw turnips can also be grated and used as a garnish.

Shouldn’t anyone eat turnips?

People taking blood thinners (blood thinners) such as warfarin should be careful not to suddenly eat large amounts of turnips, as they are relatively high in vitamin K, which may interfere with these medications.

Turnips also contain goitrogens, which can disrupt thyroid function. Cooking turnips reduces goitrogen levels, but people with thyroid problems should talk to a healthcare professional before introducing turnips or other goitrogen foods in their diet.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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By Christophe Bergland

Bergland is a retired ultra-endurance athlete turned medical writer and science journalist. He is based in Massachusetts.

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