‘’Fruit under the root, Healthy and budget-friendly’’

Eat root veggies for healthy digestion which is packed with nutrients.

Sometimes in the healthy food world, root vegetables get a bad reputation because they are dense with carbohydrates. But all carbohydrates are not bad and not created equally. Let’s put this thought process to bed and think about the food as a whole. Root vegetables are REAL FOOD and do not have any added ingredients, they are what they are and they are rich in nutrients to boost.

You could grow your own root vegetables and would not need any processing except of course if you want to get fancy and chop, dice, slice, shred or mash them. That’s the kind of processing I can get behind. So, let’s discuss more about root veggies.

Beetroot veggie in square magic planter box

What are root vegetables?

Root vegetables are those that grow below the ground as the root of a plant. Seems pretty basic, and it is. These roots are not the most pleasing to the eye but they are packed with vitamins and minerals and not to mention taste. The roots of plants need to absorb nutrients and water from the soil in order to survive so as you can guess those root veggies are high in the minerals found in the soil where they are grown. Join with me to discuss more about the topic.

The root vegetable includes:

Beets, carrots, radish, turnips. Pretty much any vegetable you find underground as the edible root of a plant can be considered in the family.

WHY YOU NEED TO EAT MORE ROOT VEGGIES

Ok, so you know what root vegetables are and you know that they are good to eat so let’s find out why you should be eating more of them.

They are nutrient dense: Each bite of a root vegetable is packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Some common vitamins found in these vegetables are beta-carotene that can be converted in the body to vitamin A, b-vitamins, folate and vitamin C. They are also rich in magnesium, potassium and other minerals found in the local soil.
They are nature’s “shelf-stable”: You should eat foods that rot, but of course should eat them before they do. Well root vegetables do in fact rot. however, they stay fresh much longer than your watery vegetables found in the summer. Many of your root vegetables can stay fresh for weeks or even months if kept at cool temperature in your refrigerator.
They are in-season: While you can find root vegetables at the grocery store year-round you should be able to find fresh and local root vegetables in-season for at least 6 months out of the year, that’s pretty amazing! They grow best from fall to spring, so the only months you will be missing out are your summer months and that’s when we don’t want our ovens on anyway. When we eat what’s in season, we are not only helping the local agriculture but we are also eating food when it has its peak nutrient values, leading to overall health.
They are heart-healthy: This is normally a dead giveaway; veggies protect the heart. However, most people think of their waterier 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.
They keep you regular: Speaking of fiber, root vegetables are very fibrous and can help keep our guts healthy by providing them with prebiotics to feed our gut bugs and to help keep our bowel habits regular, because after all we all want to be regular in that sense of the term.