The unloved root vegetable that improves your gut health
Haggis is, of course, a central part of celebrating Burns Night (January 25). As a Scot, I’ve seen my fair share of this dish marched around rooms on silver platters, followed by a procession of bagpipers in kilts before Rabbie Burns’ Address to a Haggis is recited while dinner’s served up.
Inevitably, little attention is paid to the neeps (also known as yellow turnips or swedes, if you’re south of the border). Nutty and earthy, but also slightly sweet, these root vegetables are delicious. Yet, possibly because they’re more effort to cook than other vegetables, we often don’t eat enough of them.
“They may have a bad reputation, but they actually are very nutritious,” says Rebecca McManamon, a consultant dietitian and spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association. “They can be eaten by all the family and are relatively low in calories and carbohydrates, while also providing fibre and nutrients.” Here’s why we should be eating more of them.
The health benefits
1. Good for gut health
Yellow turnips are a good source of fibre, says Scott Baptie, a nutritionist, high-protein recipe creator and owner of Food For Fitness.
An 80g serving offers 1.5g of the 30g we should be aiming for each day, which can improve digestion and increase the diversity of microbes living in our gut. Getting enough in our diet has also been shown to lower risk of heart disease, stroke and bowel cancer.
The fibre swedes contain may also help with weight loss, says Baptie. “The high water and fibre content give a feeling of fullness, which could be beneficial in reducing weight or maintaining it,” he explains.
2. Enhances heart health
“Turnips contain compounds such as glucosinolates that might be related to reduced inflammation, which supports heart health,” notes Baptie.
This bitter-tasting chemical is an antioxidant that also promotes digestion and may reduce the risk of some cancers.
Research has also shown that just two heaped tablespoons of vegetables a day is enough to lower the risk of heart problems.
3. Boosts immunity
A serving of yellow turnip offers up around 15mg of vitamin C, as well as vitamin K and vitamin B6 – an excellent combination for our immune health.
Vitamin C aids the production of lymphocytes and phagocytes – types of white blood cells that help to protect against infections, while vitamin K can reduce the creation of inflammatory proteins in the body.
Vitamin B6, meanwhile, helps create antibodies – fighter cells that protect against harmful bugs. As an added bonus, it can also help to combat fatigue.
4. Supports brain health
The MIND diet, created a decade ago by researchers in the United States, was devised to support brain health. Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and kale (which are all classed as brassica vegetables) are a key part of it and thought to protect against cognitive decline.
“As swede is part of the brassica family, it may provide the same benefits as other green leafy vegetables – however, it has not been specifically studied,” McManamon adds.
5. Manages blood sugar levels
All food falls somewhere on the glycemic index, which is a measuring system for whether food will raise blood sugar levels quickly, moderately or slowly.
Yellow turnips rank low on this scale, meaning they are good for maintaining blood sugar levels which, if managed well over time, can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
The most nutritious way to prepare them
To start, you’ll probably want to peel off the skin. While it’s technically edible, and experts generally recommend eating the skin of fruit and vegetables for maximum health benefits, it’s quite thick and tough in the case of turnips.
When it comes to cooking turnips, McManamon notes that boiling them for 20 to 30 minutes is the main method used.
“Take care not to over boil and lose too many of the water-soluble vitamins like vitamin C, though” she says. These can leach out of the vegetable and into the water used for cooking.
“Turnips can also be easily mixed with other vegetables, like carrot for mash, if you don’t like the taste on its own,” McManamon recommends. They can also be mixed into soups or casseroles, she adds.
As with other vegetables, an ideal serving is around 80g per person, meaning you should get around five servings from the typical swede.
“When many of us are thinking about eating sustainably and seasonally to minimise food miles, [swedes and yellow turnips] are great winter vegetables [that can be] grown in the UK,” she notes.
“Many people even grow them in their own gardens, and eating more can benefit the environment as well as our health,” she adds.
