Diversity is key in a healthy diet. By adding variety into the foods we eat, we are providing our body with a range of nutrients. If it isn’t already in your diet, you should try kohlrabi. Kohlrabi (pronounced coal-ROB-ee), also known as German turnip or turnip cabbage, is from the same family as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. Kohlrabi is a great source of many important nutrients in both its green and purple varieties. It may be the perfect veggie to add to your diet.
This is a good whole food. Starting at the root, it tastes similar to broccoli stem, but is softer and sweeter. This is the most commonly used part of the vegetable, and has the longest shelf life. Then you have the stem. The stems, like the root, have hard outer layers, but once peeled back there is soft and tasty flesh, which is packed with nutrients. And to top kohlrabi off you have its leaves. The leaves are comparable to collard greens or kale. All three parts of the plant are nutritious, and that is one more reason that this is such a great veggie to use.
Kohlrabi Nutrition
Kohlrabi is a good source of thiamin, folate, magnesium, and phosphorus. On top of this, it is a great source of dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, and manganese. It is also low in sugar, which is fantastic.
Kohlrabi is rich in phytochemicals that help prevent cancer. They’re high in glucosinolate content, which assists in the elimination of carcinogens. It can also positively affect the metabolism of sex hormones, which lowers the risk of hormone related cancers.
In general, eating fruits and vegetables lowers your risk of coronary heart disease. There are two big factors in this. One is the antioxidants and nutrients you’re getting from eating these good foods. The other is the assumption that if you’re eating fruits and veggies, you’re eating less processed junk food. Along those same lines, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables showed a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Fruits and vegetables are both great, and they all have their unique qualities and health benefits, but they aren’t the same thing. Fruits are the produce of a plant, while a vegetable is the plant itself. Fruits also tend to be much higher in sugar. This doesn’t mean they are bad, because they’re often high in vitamin C and rich in antioxidants (to name but a few of their benefits), but they shouldn’t be lumped in with vegetables as if you can eat them in equal portions. You should be eating a lot more vegetables than fruits.
Kohlrabis are a very good, low-sugar source of vitamin C. Vitamin C works as an antioxidant, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress. It has been show to be very beneficial for heart health, reducing the risk of heart disease, typically caused by stress and inflammation. On top of that, it is also great for you immune system, helping you fight off colds, and reducing cold duration.
To further heal and preserve your heart, kohlrabi is also a great source of carotenoids. Carotenoids reduce the plasma C-reactive protein, significantly reducing the markers of inflammation and boosting the immune system. In fact, carotenoids were found to be far more effective at reducing this protein than vitamin C or E.
Kohlrabi is good, and good for you. This is a great veggie that you can enjoy from root to leaf. You can eat them raw or cooked, though it is probably safer to steam or lightly cook them to help kill of goitrogens, which can interfere with the thyroid gland (though the risk is minimal unless you have a preexisting thyroid issue).
