Turnip

Turnip

The most common type of turnip is mostly white-skinned apart from the upper 1–6 centimeters, which protrude above the ground and are purple, red, or greenish wherever sunlight has fallen. This above-ground part develops from stem tissue, but is fused with the root. The interior flesh is entirely white. The entire root is roughly conical, but can be occasionally tomato shaped, about 5–20 centimeters in diameter, and lacks side roots. The taproot (the normal root below the swollen storage root) is thin and 10 centimeters or more in length; it is trimmed off before marketing.

Turnip roots weigh up to about 1 kilogram, although they can be harvested when smaller. Size is partly a function of variety and partly a function of the length of time that the turnip has grown. Most very small turnips (also called baby turnips) are specialty varieties. These are only available when freshly harvested and do not keep well. Most baby turnips can be eaten whole, including their leaves. Baby turnips come in yellow-, orange-, and red-fleshed varieties as well as white-fleshed. Their flavor is mild, so they can be eaten raw in salads like radishes.

Turnip Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbs, and Health Benefits

Turnip is composed of 91.87% water, 6.43% carbohydrates, 0.9% protein, and negligible fat. One medium turnip supplies you with 7.845 grams of carbohydrates, which is 6.03 percent of the minimum of 130 grams of carbohydrates you should have daily. That same a 100 gram reference serving of turnip provides 28 calories and has a high content of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), containing 28% of the Daily Value (DV) per 100-gram amount (right table of USDA nutrient values). This means if your diet contains turnip, it helps your body to absorb iron from food and defend itself more naturally since vitamin C is an antioxidant, reduce probability of heart disease by fighting cholesterol, improve the efficiency of lymphocytes (or white blood cells) to heal wounds and it is effective against gout (a type of arthritis) attacks by reducing blood uric acid levelsdementia since vitamin C impacts memory positivelythe occurrence of cancer. It contains low amount of minerals.