Drop intro
Every day could be the new day, isn’t it?:) Since I started my almost vegan food journey, the world of the unknown plant products has widened enormously! Lets take a look:)
Three vegetables which I never knew before
I l’earned about Rutabaga vegetable today, it was the first time in my life I hold it in my hands, now it is in the kitchen:)
I l’earned about purple sweet potato a few weeks ago! I have never seen them before. Well, I was not interested probably in plant food earlier…
I l’earned about kohlrabi two years ago, in January 2019, when I started my plant-based journey.
What a narrow worldview we can have! I cannot believe myself how narrow it was for me, because this is just the beginning of the list…
| name | latin name | other names |
|---|---|---|
| Rutabaga | Brassica napus | Swedish turnip, swede, neep |
| Kohlrabi | Brassica oleracea (Gongylodes group) | German turnip, cabbage turnip |
| Purple sweet potato | Ipomoea batatas | Okinawan sweet potato, beni-imo |
RUTABAGA
Root vegetable, hybrid between cabbage and turnip. Should not be consumed raw, because it contains cyanogenic glycosides (as well as cassava, lima beans, sweet potato, corn (maize).
It is not recommended to eat these vegetables RAW daily, especially by those who have thyroid problems, because cyanogenic metabolites inhibit the transport of thyroid iodide. Fermentation or cooking (boiling) are efficient techniques for removing cyanide from these veggies. Rutabaga is a rich source of fiber.
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KOHLRABI
Grows above ground as other cabbage species – good vegetable for keto diet (carbs 8 g / 100 g).
Could be eaten cooked or raw. It is not the same as turnip (or white turnip, Brassica rapa).
Eating raw: juicy and a great source of vitamin C
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PURPLE SWEET POTATO
Root vegetable, tubers are eatable. It is a cultivar of sweet potato. It is not dyed, the purple color comes from the high concentration of biologically active compounds – anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are pigments which give red, blue, purple or black color. They are good for vision, blood pressure, have anti-inflammatory activity.
Sweet potatoes are not the same as regular potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are from the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), and white (regular) potatoes are nightshades (Solanaceae). Sweet potatoes do not contain poisonous glycoalkaloid solanine, as regular potatoes do. You know it, solanine concentrates in green parts of the regular potatoes when exposed to sunlight and should be avoided in food.
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The conclusions drawn and the assessment of the health benefits/risks are restricted to information appearing in the scientific literature
Images and text © Dr. A. Palatronis / www.z-antenna.com
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