Parsnips

This article is part of a larger article titled "100+ Healthiest Foods On Planet Earth."  Read it here.

Parsnips, a root vegetable closely related to carrots, are a sweet yet robust vegetable, often roasted, but also delicious mashed, in soups, or even in cake. A staple of roast dinners, the parsnip offers a number of nutritional benefits, including high levels of potassium and magnesium (great for cardiovascular health), high levels of kaempferol (which protects from cancer and damage to blood vessels, and falcarinol (a potent antioxidant).

With a diverse list of health benefits, and in light of how delicious a well-cooked parsnip can be, it could be an important step on the road to a healthy lifestyle.

Parsnips have a lot of nutritional benefits, especially for a vegetable that so completely lacks the trademark bitterness of vegetables like Brussel sprouts or broccoli rabe. 100g of raw parsnips contains 28% of your daily value (DV) of vitamin C.

That same 100g also contains 19% DV of dietary fibre, essential for good digestion, 10% DV of potassium, an extremely important mineral for cardiovascular health, and 7% DV of magnesium, essential for athletic performance. Many people are deficient in potassium and magnesium, making parsnips one very tasty option for getting these essential minerals in your diet.

The two compounds that really add a boost to parsnip’s claim on health food status are falcarinol (also found in carrots), and kaempferol (found in leek).

Firstly, falcarinol has been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer, in addition to antibacterial and antifungal activities. When coupled with high levels of dietary fibre, this means that parsnips may have real benefits for your digestive system.

Kaempferol is a flavonoid that offers protection from blood vessel damage and has a broad cancer-protective effect, among other proven benefits.

When we consider that parsnips are also high in potassium and magnesium, we see that they are really beneficial for the cardiovascular system. Finally, the fact that both falcarinol and kaempferol have cancer-fighting properties is just one more reason to enjoy the sweet taste of parsnips.