Awesome for: Fiber, Folate, Potassium and Vitamin C
Look like: White-yellow carrots
Tastes like: Carrots, but sweeter and heartier
What they can do for you:
- Improve digestive tract and keep you fuller longer (fiber)
- Lessens risk of depression, increases energy and promote red blood cells (folate acid)
- Decrease risk of birth defects for pregnant women (folate acid)
- Lower risk of stroke and high blood pressure (potassium)
- Supports bone, skin, blood vessel, immune system and teeth health (vitamin C)
- In Medieval Times, they were considered an aphrodisiac. Bow chica bowow.
Suggested Use:
- For storage: Wrap in a paper towel and cover in plastic. Store up to two weeks in the veggie bin of the fridge. (The vitamin C content decreases with increased exposure to heat, light, air and water).
- Peel or slice thin like a carrot and eat raw in salads (make sure to scrub clean before you do this).
- Roast in oven by themselves or with other root vegetables like carrots and sweet potatoes. Cut up into bite-size pieces. Drizzle with coconut oil or ghee. Sprinkle with herbs and seasoning. And roast at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
All facts aside:
Parsnips are like this slightly sweet, herby treat that I can’t believe I did not discover earlier. I don’t know why people don’t use them more. When roasted, they are the perfect warm, comforting veggie for the fall. They taste so good, you might think they aren’t good for you. But they are. Duh. Why else would they be the healthy food of the week?
p.s. Yes. I called this post “Healthy Food of the Week” as if there have been other weeks. But you weren’t mistaken, this is the first one of its kind. There are so many great unprocessed foods out there that I figured the best way to talk about them with you is to feature a new one every week. I am totally looking forward to reading and writing about real food on a regular basis. I don’t you understand how much joy it brings me (I’m weird, I know). Please leave your thoughts below! (just type in the big box and click POST COMMENT).
