From weight loss to glowing skin: 7 reasons why turnip is the ideal winter veggie

Do you know what’s the best part about winter? It’s the bounty of veggies that it offers, amongst which turnip certainly stands out! You’ll be glad to know that this humble vegetable is loaded with nutrients that you could have never even thought of! 

Turnip is a root vegetable, which is very low in calorie content. It is a storehouse of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants. You can use both roots and greens to prepare yourself a scrumptious meal, since they are both edible. Add it to a stew or a soup to create your own weight loss tonic. 

We agree that not many of us are turnip fans, but once you know its nutritional benefits, you won’t be able to keep yourself away from it! 

Here are nutritionist-recommended health benefits of turnip that you must know about 

“One serving of turnip (100-125 gms) provides 28 to 30 calories and 2gms of fibre. It is a good source of copper, manganese, potassium, calcium, vitamin K, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, carotenoids and photochemical compounds, all of which provide great health benefits,” says Priya Palan, Dietitian, Zen Multispeciality Hospital. 

1. Turnips are great for your skin

Winter is harsh on your skin, and makes it dry and saggy. This can also lead to fine lines and wrinkles, but not if you nosh on turnips! What’s more, it can also help to improve immunity.

“Turnips contain generous amounts of antioxidants, and help to prevent diseases,” suggests Ms Palan.

2. It works wonderfully well when it comes to weight management

Turnips contain lipids that are known to boost your metabolism. They inhibit the accumulation of fat in your body, and maintain blood sugar levels as well. Plus, it’s a low calorie food, so you can nosh on it, without any guilt.

3. It promotes liver health

The kind of food that we eat impacts our liver in every way. But turnip can really be a blessing for your liver, as it can enhance and promote liver health by protecting it from hepatic fibrogenesis, which is a kind of formation of a large amount of scar tissue in the liver.

4. It improves your heart health too

Cardiovascular disease doesn’t see age or gender. Nowadays, it is becoming quite normal to get one. But if you eat turnip in winter then it can protect your heart and reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, which is a build-up of fat layer on the artery wall.

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5. Turnips are known to reduce the risk of certain cancers

“Cruciferous vegetables like turnip contain high levels of sulforaphane that helps to fight the oxidative stress, and reduce the risk of cancer,” says Ms Palan.

6. It keeps your gut health in check

Your intestine is responsible for so many things, and hence requires a lot of care. Turnips can actually turn around the health of your intestine.Yes, it’s true!

“They are very much capable of reducing farting and bloating. So, no more acid reflux and acidity if you eat turnips on a regular basis,” she says.

7. It lowers down your BP

Being a good source of potassium, it also helps to lower blood pressure.

“Moderation is always key to good health. No food can be a superfood, unless a balance of macro and micro nutrients is followed,” concludes Ms Palan.

So before you ignore turnip, just look at what it has to offer and then take a call.