They can be boiled, rubbed, crunchy, made into juices or pickled. In each of these forms, they are an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. We don’t have to wait until April or May to enjoy a portion of delicious vegetables. In winter, it is especially worth leaning towards silage, about the health benefits of which we have already written.
Carrot
Carrots are a rich source beta carotene, or provitamin A. It is a strong antioxidant, improves skin tone, has a positive effect on eyesight. This ingredient is quite stable, so cooking carrots does not cause any significant nutritional losses. Carrots are also potassium, copper, iron, calcium, vitamin K, folic acid, manganese, sulfur compounds, coumarins and dietary fiber. In the small root, therefore, quite a lot of nutrients necessary for our body. It is worth giving it with a bit of fat, with which beta carotene is better absorbed. At the same time, it is a great start to many tasty dishes. Examples include recipes of our users for salad with sunflower seeds or vegetable cutlets. It only remains to wonder if every carrot is healthy? Or maybe there are some dangers in it? A few months ago we wrote about ‘toxic carrot’. It is worth exploring this topic.
100 g of carrots is 35 kcal, and 1 kg costs about PLN 1,80
Beetroot
The beetroots contain folates, vitamin C, manganese, potassium, magnesium and iron. The content of the dye in them is important for the body – betaine. It is classified as an anthocyanin and has numerous health benefits. It supports the liver in its detoxification function and reduces the level of homocysteine, protecting our circulatory system. Betaine is also a stable compound, thanks to which its content is high in both cooked and processed beets. Our users prepare juices, preserves and even pancakes with its addition. In winter, it is especially worth paying attention to drinking beetroot juice, as it improves the work of the immune system. The beneficial properties of beetroot juice were described by our dietitian Justyna Piechocka.
100 g of beetroot is 43 kcal, and 1 kg costs about PLN 1,30
turnip
It is not a vegetable that can be found in every store, but it should be possible in a local grocery store. It is a rich source vitamins C, B6 and folate. It also provides manganese, potassium, copper and sulfur substances. Thanks to the latter compounds, it gained the fame of a hair strengthening product. Our great-grandmothers used it for rheumatic pains or radiculitis. There are reports that it accelerates metabolism, so it is worth for people on a diet to turn to turnips. It can be eaten grated in salad, using our recipe, or diced and cooked like a carrot, or stewed with meat.
100 g of turnips is 28 kcal, and 1 kg costs about PLN 3,0
Kapusta
Cabbage is a versatile vegetable and a wealth of nutrients. You can make a salad, soup, cook it as a vegetable side dish, make noodles, squeeze juice or make a casserole. In every form it is delicious and healthy, but it will provide us with the most of its treasures when raw. They are undoubtedly a large presence vitamin C, K, E, beta carotene, B vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus. It also contains sulfur compounds. In folk medicine, it is recommended to use cabbage leaf compresses for breast inflammation and insect bites or stings. It is also recommended to drink cabbage juice in case of stomach problems or anemia.
100 g is 25 kcal, and 1 kg costs about PLN 1,30
Lentils
It is classified as a legume. It takes a short time to cook and there is no need to soak it before use. Thanks to this, it becomes a quickly available source of vegetable protein. It also provides thiamine, phosphorus, iron, manganese, folate and dietary fiber. The downside to lentils, as well as other legumes, is the presence of gas-inducing compounds in them. Soaking them allows you to reduce the content of these substances in them. It is also worth remembering about the use of appropriate herbs that will facilitate their digestion, such as savory, marjoram, basil or cumin. A tasty start to the dinner can be red lentil soup, and the main course is zucchini stuffed with lentils and beans.
100 g is 353 kcal, and 1 kg costs about PLN 8,0
There are many examples of such tasty and healthy products that we will use in winter, for example celery, parsley, parsnips, radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, beans, peas and many others. So let’s carefully look around at the vegetable stand.
Main photo is from: Muffet / Foter / CC BY