In winter, vegetables that have ripened deep in the ground and accumulated maximum vitamins and minerals during the summer are especially valuable. Root vegetables help maintain health, provide energy, and warm you during the cold season.
Why You Should Eat Root Vegetables in Winter
- Seasonality: Root vegetables ripen in their natural season and retain nutrients throughout the winter.
- Availability: In the fall, they can be purchased from farmers at reasonable prices, and they can be stored in simple conditions.
- Concentration of Nutrients: Rich in fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamins (C, B group, beta-carotene), and minerals (potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese), root vegetables support immunity and overall health.
- Versatility: They can be baked, boiled, stewed, added to soups and salads, fermented, and used to create snacks and casseroles.
Three Best Winter Root Vegetables
Carrots
The main source of beta-carotene and vitamins C, E, K, and B group. Contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. Carrots improve gastrointestinal function, are beneficial for vision, skin, and the cardiovascular system. Cooking increases the absorption of beta-carotene by 4–6 times, so in winter, it is better to bake, stew, or boil carrots.
Beets
Contains the antioxidant betaine, which is beneficial for the liver, as well as vitamins and trace elements. Helps maintain the cardiovascular and nervous systems, regulates metabolism. Beets combined with carrots improve blood formation and iron absorption.
Radish
There are many varieties: black, white, daikon, and others. Regulates blood sugar levels, supports liver function, helps with respiratory diseases, and is rich in calcium and potassium for lowering blood pressure and preventing heart diseases.
How to Include More Root Vegetables in Your Diet
- Add grated carrots or daikon to salads instead of cucumbers.
- Use several types of vegetables in soups, for example, borscht with carrots, beets, and turnips.
- Prepare winter salads: vinaigrette, carrots with cabbage, daikon with carrots.
- Bake a mixture of root vegetables with herbs and oil — a delicious, nutritious, and warming dish.
