Sometimes eating healthy is hard, so that you may find yourself craving junk or more unhealthy foods. There are endless health benefits of radishes that you can enjoy if you are a radish lover. However, if you have never tried them, it’s time. Radish is nutritious, and everybody deserves a treat from these root vegetables. If you have no idea what radishes are, you are about to learn a lot. So keep reading, there’s a lot to learn today, and it’s going to be fun.
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What are Radishes?
Radishes are pungent, root vegetables, and they grow in most parts of the world. Most roots are round and swollen, but they are different in colors, including red, purple, green, yellow, black, and even white. Radishes grow like carrots (see picture below). They have a rosette of oblong-shaped leaves-ground level horizontal and circular, measuring 5-30 cm in length 2-12 inches long.
The edible parts of radishes are pods, seeds, flowers, and radish leaves. You can eat radishes raw, preserved, or cooked. Radishes date back to the 3rd century B.C, and their name comes from a Latin word, radix, meaning root. There are 35 different radishes, depending on their appearance, taste, shape, and size. In this article, we will discuss a few types before talking about the health benefits of radishes.
What are the Types of Radishes
As mentioned above, radishes differ depending on their appearance, size, shape, and taste. Therefore, there are up to 35 different types. However, we shall not discuss all of them, only a few.
a). Black Spanish Radish
Black radish has coal-black skin and pure white flesh.
b). Cherry Belle Radish
Cherry belle radishes are the ones you usually see n grocery stores. This is a perfect addition to salads and other dishes.
c). Chinese Red Meat Radish
As the name suggests, this radish has red flesh, but the skin is whitish-green. It has a sweet taste and a crispy texture. You can use Chinese Red Meat radish to make delicious salads and stir-fried dishes.
d). Crimson Giant Radish
Crimson radishes grow to maturity with an average diameter of 1.5 inches, while the height can grow up to six inches. They reach maturity within 30 days, and they have a mild crispy taste.
e). Daikon Long White Radish
Daikon long radishes can grow up to 18 inches long, and the diameter can be as wide as three inches. Daikon radish is usually cooked, but they also make delicious salads as they can be eaten raw. They are white and resemble a whitish-colored eggplant.
f). De 18 Jours Radish
De 18 jours is french, meaning 18 days. These radishes mature within 18 days. They are round or cylindrical in shape and red in color with white tips. De 18 jours radishes have a crispy texture, and they are juicy. They are also easy to grow.
g). Malaga Radish
Malaga radishes have round roots, and the color is deep purple, while the flesh is white. They take up to 35 days to mature, and they are easy to grow.
h). Philadelphia White Box Radish
This White Box radish is an heirloom variety and dates back to the 1800s. Its skin is beige, and the flesh is white. These radishes grow to the size of a golf ball and have a mild and crispy taste. They mature early and are ready within 30 days.
i). Sichuan Red Beauty Radish
Sichuan red beauty is a real red beauty. It is red to the inside and outside, completely red. It is long and slender, and it is great for making salads and for pickling purposes. Sichuan radishes are sweet and rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
j). Sakurajima Mammoth Radish
Sakurajima is one of the biggest radishes, and it can weigh up to 100 pounds when fully mature. It has a sweet and mild flavor.
k). Easter Egg Radish
Easter Egg radishes taste best when cut very thin and added to salads. They come in colors like pink, white, red, purple. They are colorful and tasty.
If you didn’t know what radishes are, now you know, and their tyes as well. So, I would like to take you through their various health benefits.
What are the Health Benefits of Radishes?
There are various health benefits of radishes that may surprise you, especially if you don’t like or eat them often. But as we all know, it’s not always easy to eat healthy foods. We are often tempted to eat unhealthy foods because they look more flavorful and delicious than healthier food items. So maybe you won’t like radishes when you eat them, but there’s more to gain. Let’s find out what.
a). Source of Dietary Fibre
Radishes are packed with roughages and fiber. If you make radishes part of your daily salad intake, you will have enough fibers t keep your digestive tract running smoothly. The large amounts of fibers that radishes contain make them great to eat whenever you want to snack. If you have enough fiber content in your diet, you can never experience the discomfort associated with constipation and piles. The reason is that fiber helps to prevent constipation.
b). Improve Detoxification
Radishes are a good source of antioxidants. In addition, they can detoxify your blood and decrease the obliteration of red blood cells that people with jaundice experience. It does that by increasing the oxygen supply to the blood. Black radishes are the most common radishes used for that purpose.
c). Boost Weight Loss
If you have been working extra hard to get rid of some excess weight, adding radishes to your diet will make you achieve your weight loss goals even faster. Radishes are low in digestive carbohydrates and contain water and fibers, making them the best dietary choice for you. It is a great choice because it will help you maintain weight if you keep eating it even after losing the excess pounds.
Also, when you eat radishes, you will be satiated without ruining your calorie intake, so instead of overeating, you eat what is enough for the body and stay full for a longer time. You can also snack on it instead of going for snacks with refined sugars and carbohydrates.
d). Improve the Urinary System
Radishes are diuretic in nature, and that means that they increase the number of units. The radish juice also cures the red-hot sensation and irritation that people experience during urination.
e). Improves Heart Health
Like other vegetables, radishes decrease cholesterol absorption by signalizing the heart and blood, which prevent cardiac disorders. In addition, these vegetables are rich in anthocyanins, which s a kind of flavonoids and provides color to them. The anthocyanins are positively associated with decreasing cardiovascular disorders, hence keeping your heart healthy.
f). Rich in Vitamins
Radishes are packed with vitamins that help prevent skin conditions. Radishes contain vitamin C, K, and A, which also boost cell production and repair. In addition, they help boost your immunity as they are packed with Vitamin C, which can revitalize your immune system by substituting some antioxidants and white blood cells. If you’ve been avoiding radishes, it’s time you give them a try.
g). Source of Essential Minerals
Radishes contain essential minerals such as calcium, potassium, sodium, and calcium. These minerals are essential because they carry oxygen, control blood sugar, and are most important to expectant mothers and their unborn children.
h). Control Diabetes
Radishes contain a low glycemic index, so consuming them will not impact your blood sugar levels. They also help in regulating sugar absorption in the bloodstream. So if you have diabetes, you can eat radishes without fearing that you will get rapid spikes or drops if you eat or don’t for some time.
g). Kill Cancer Cells
Radishes are a great part of our nutrition as they contain folic acid, vitamin C, and anthocyanins. They are cruciferous vegetables and are loaded with antioxidants which are known to have chemo-preventive qualities. In addition, the isothiocyanates in radishes may change the genetic passageways of cancer cells, such that they can result in cell death, hence preventing them from reproducing.
h). Great for Skin
Water is the major component of radishes, and this makes them maintain your body’s hydration, hence providing healthy, youthful, glowing skin. The vitamin C, zinc, and phosphorus in radish help to keep the skin hydrated for longer.
The antioxidants and vitamin C protect your skin from free radicals, which lead to oxidative damage, which may lead to premature aging. In addition, the high water content and dietary fibers in radish help to remove excess oils and toxins from your skin, hence preventing acne and pimples, leaving your skin feeling young and healthy.
i). Help in Digestion
As mentioned earlier, radishes contain fibers in bulk, which helps with bowel movements, making it easier and smoother. In addition, some studies have shown that radish leaves can help solidify loose stools as well.
j). Lowers Hypertension
Radishes contain high amounts of potassium which studies suggest to lower high blood pressure. Blood vessels relax when potassium interacts with the vascular bed’s arterial supply, promoting a smooth blood flow. Conversely, if the blood flows through constricted vessels, the blood pressure will rise.
How to Eat Radishes
There are endless health benefits of radishes that you can only taste if you try out the vegetable. However, if you are still on the fence, I urge you to try them even once. There are various ways to eat them, and that is what our discussion involves next.
a). Salads
Eating raw radishes in salads is the most obvious and easiest way to eat them. You can also add small and tender radish greens to make the salad more nutritious and flavorful. You can add the radishes to a fresh, grilled corn salad and enjoy a healthy salad.
b). Radish Sandwiches
You can also make sandwiches with sliced radishes. With the different beautiful radishes, you can make delicious sandwiches and enjoy raw, nutritious radishes.
c). Pickled Radishes
If you are craving that vinegar flavor, guess how you can add it to your radish recipe. You can pickle the radishes and eat them with tacos.
d). Roasted
Roasted radishes make a nice side dish, and roasting is simple. Simply toss them in with other vegetables ad roast at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about half an hour.
e). Radish Chips
You can also try radish chips for a treat, which is even healthier because you have an alternative, even healthier than potato chips instead of eating potato chips.
f). Fermented
Did you know you can ferment your radishes for a different treat? Although they lose their vibrant color during fermentation, the taste is on another level. You can combine them with turnips to make Lacto fermented radish and turnip roots, a nutritious treat for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions About Health Benefits of Radishes
1. What kind of vitamins are in radish greens?
Radish greens are also packed with vitamin C, up to six times more than radish. In addition, radish leaves also contain large amounts of vitamin B6, magnesium, iron, calcium, vitamin A, and phosphorus, essential for good health.
2. What does raw radish juice do to your skin?
Due to its antioxidant properties, raw radish juice exerts an anti-aging effect on the skin. In addition, it may inhibit tyrosinase, which is an enzyme that helps in the production of melanin, which gives your skin a darker shade.
3. Why are radishes good for the respiratory system?
Respiratory diseases normally occur due to allergies, colds, infections, among other causes. Eating radishes may protect the respiratory system from infections due to high vitamin C and other vitamins.
4. Does eating radish in excess affect the kidney
When used in excess, even the best things can be harmful, and radishes are no exception. When you consume them in excess, you may harm the kidneys. Here’s why; Radish is a diuretic, which means it increases the production of urine. So if you eat them in excess, you may need to pee a lot, which will dehydrate you.
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