turnips & turnip greens with cashew cream sauce - Healthy Seasonal Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why put baking soda in turnips? ›

One turnip website from the United Kingdom notes that if you boil them, add a little sugar to tame the scent and add baking soda to reduce bitterness.

Turnip greens are healthy and rich in essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Turnip greens can be eaten raw and added to salads, but since the fiber content is high, it is better to eat them cooked. Turnip greens have a spicy flavor similar to mustard seeds.

Turnip greens contain calcium oxalates, which can cause health problems if they accumulate and crystallize in the body. If you have a history of gall bladder problems or kidney stones, you may want to avoid turnip greens because of their high oxalate content.

Turnip contains several organic compounds like glucosinolates, isothiocyanates, flavonoids, phenols, indoles, volatiles and sulfur compounds that may possess antioxidant activity. The compounds present in turnip may reduce the risk of liver damage and might help maintain its structure and function.

Braise them. For sturdy greens with a bite, like rapini, collards, kale, and turnip greens, consider braising. Not only will this slow-cooking cut the bitterness, but it will also soften the otherwise tough leaves.

Boil or steam turnips and add them to mashed potatoes for extra vitamins and minerals. Grate them raw into salads or slaws. Roast them with other root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes, and bring out their natural sweetness.

Healthy Ways to Prepare Turnips and Turnip Greens

Cook them in some broth along with sauteed onions and rosemary.

Digestion. Turnip greens are high in both fiber and water content, which help to prevent constipation, promote regularity and maintain a healthy digestive tract.

If you are suffering from thyroid disorders, it is best to avoid eating turnips as this vegetable contains certain compounds that may affect the thyroid gland and interfere in the functioning of the hormone.

Yes, people living with diabetes can eat turnip as it is a low glycemic index vegetable that can help regulate blood sugar levels. However, it is important to monitor portion sizes and overall carbohydrate intake.

Is pineapple good for the kidneys? ›

Pineapple

Pineapple can make a sweet treat for people with kidney conditions. It's lower in phosphorus, potassium, and sodium than oranges, bananas, or kiwis. Pineapple is also a good source of fiber and vitamin A, and it contains bromelain, an enzyme that may help reduce inflammation.

Turnips have anti-inflammatory effects.

The glucosinolates found in turnips break down into byproducts with anti-inflammatory properties that can relieve those with chronic pain from arthritis or conditions like high blood pressure.

Turnips are a cruciferous vegetable with multiple health benefits. They boast an impressive nutritional profile, and their bioactive compounds, such as glucosinolates, may support blood sugar control, protect against harmful bacteria, and provide anticancer and anti-inflammatory effects.

Turnips can be enjoyed raw, pickled, boiled, roasted, mashed, stewed, puréed, added to soups, or prepared almost any way you'd make potatoes. Turnips are a healthy alternative to potatoes; they're lower in calories and have fewer carbs.

The US Food and Drug Administration, the US Department of Agriculture and other scientists agree: use a cold water soak with baking soda to effectively help remove dirt, chemical residue, and other unwanted materials from your fresh vegetables and fruits.

This is a bad practice, however, and you should avoid adding baking soda when boiling any type of vegetable. It has various unwelcome effects, such as softening the vegetable, altering the vegetable's flavor, destroying thiamine content, and hastening the loss of vitamin C.

When applied to plant leaves and stems, baking soda does slow or stop the growth of fungi. However, the benefits are fleeting at best. Studies have shown that while baking soda impacts the growth of fungal spores, the spores and actively growing fungi are not killed.

We got some surprising results. Baking soda does help green vegetables retain color, but it causes undesirable color changes in red cabbage—it turned blue. The science can be distilled to this: Adding baking soda to cooking water makes it slightly alkaline, which stabilizes the green color of chlorophyll.