Radish

I love peppery additions to salads and other dishes, and radishes definitely have that lovely kick to them. Plus they just look so fresh and have that amazing crunch! Here’s what I’ve learned about them.

Refreshing crunch in your salad

There are different kinds of radishes, but the most common (in my part of the world, at least!) is the red skinned one. Lovely and red/pink on the outside and white and almost glassy on the inside, they have a unique look - but also a really great crunchy texture, not to mention a wonderfully, almost surprisingly peppery kick to them that can be hard to come by in other ingredients. They are also brilliant pickled!

Radishes have some great health benefits. They contain potassium, folate and Vitamin C, and also some fibre. As you may expect, they are low in protein and fats, but if you toss them in a well balanced salad you can cover all nutritional properties easily!

We’ve looked at benefits of folate, Vitamin C and potassium before, but a new one to look at, which I find very interesting, is sulforaphane. This phytochemical is converted in your body and can help reduce the risk of cancer by protecting your cells from DNA damage!

Radishes contain antioxidants, which help your heart and lower inflammation levels in the body. They may even have anti-fungal properties and help prevent yeast infections and thrush! Black radish also stimulates digestive juices, and help your liver function.

Some people are allergic to radishes, although that’s quite uncommon. You may want to keep your radish consumption moderate if you have thyroid issues or diabetes, but you’d have to eat quite a lot for it to ever become an issue!

Oh and don’t forget, you can eat the leaves of a radish as well! Don’t let anything go to waste.

Do you like radishes? How do you use them in the kitchen? Message me on Instagram @TheFromScratchBody!