Root vegetables are healthy as well as tasty and satisfying. In fact, they are so satisfying that you might consider having meatless meals with root vegetables as the main course. Prepare the vegetables simply, with little added fat and calories so that you can get the most benefit. If you roast root vegetables, for instance, you can make several healthy meals, including soup or stew made with the leftover roasted vegetables.
Potatoes
All potatoes are healthy, unless you load them up with butter, cheese or sour cream. Sweet potatoes are especially healthy, containing 114 calories, 4 g of fiber, 40 mg of calcium, 63 mg of phosphorus, 448 mg of potassium, 3 mg of vitamin C, 11,317 mcg of beta carotene and 18,869 IU of vitamin A in each cup. Russet potatoes have fewer beneficial nutrients by comparison: 118 calories, 2 g of fiber, 10 mg of calcium, 313 mg of potassium, 41 mg of phosphorus and 4.3 mg of vitamin C in one cup of diced potatoes.
Turnip and Rutabaga
Rutabaga is a sweeter, mellower turnip with the yellow color that contains beneficial antioxidants. Each cup of diced rutabaga contains 50 calories, 3.5 g of fiber, 66 mg of calcium, 81 mg of phosphorus, 472 mg of potassium, 35 mg of vitamin C and 29 mcg of folate. Turnip has, in contrast, 36 calories, 2.3 g of fiber, 39 mg of calcium, 35 mg of phosphorus, 248 mg of potassium and 27 mg of vitamin C, making rutabaga the healthier as well as the tastier choice.
Beets, Carrots and Parsnips
One medium beet has 35 calories, 2.3 g of dietary fiber, 13 mg of calcium, 266 mg of potassium and 27 IU of vitamin A. One medium carrot has 25 calories, 1.7 g of dietary fiber, 20 mg of calcium, 21 mg of phosphorus, 195 mg of potassium, 3.6 mg of vitamin C and 10,191 IU of vitamin A. One cup of sliced parsnips has 100 calories, 6.5 g of fiber, 48 mg of calcium, 39 mg of magnesium, 94 mg of phosphorus, 22.6 mg of vitamin C, 2 g of vitamin E, and 89 mcg of folate. Of the three, carrots are clearly the healthiest. However, beets contain healthy antioxidants called anthocyanins, red, blue and purple pigments that not only help protect you against disease, they also potentiate other antioxidants in your diet.
Onions, Garlic and Daikon Radish
One 7-inch daikon root has 61 calories, 5.4 g of dietary fiber, 91 mg of calcium, 767 mg of potassium and 74.4 mg of vitamin C. One clove of garlic has 4 calories, 5 mg of calcium, 5 mg of phosphorus and 0.9 mg of vitamin C. One cup of onions has 64 calories, 2.7 g of fiber, 37 mg of calcium, 46 mg of phosphorus, 234 mg of potassium and 11.8 mg of vitamin C. They contain sulfur compounds that make them spicy and also help to protect you against cancer.
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