What are the health benefits of eating turnips?

As a cabbage-family vegetable, turnips provide numerous health benefits. The cabbage family of vegetables contains more phytochemicals with demonstrable anti-cancer properties than any other vegetable family. Most of these compounds are glucosinolates.

The compounds receiving the most attention are indole-3-carbinol, sulforaphane, di-indolmethane, and isothiocyanates. The anti-cancer effects of cabbage-family vegetables have been noted in population studies. Consistently, the higher the intake of cabbage-family vegetables, the lower the rates of cancer, particularly colon, prostate, lung, and breast cancer.

The glucosinolates in cabbage work primarily by increasing antioxidant defense mechanisms, as well as improving the body's ability to detoxify and eliminate harmful chemicals and hormones. Specifically, indole-3- carbinole (I3C), has been shown to increase the rate at which estrogen is broken down through the liver's detoxification pathway by nearly 50 percent.

The health benefits of potatoes relate to their nutrient content, though they may possess other healing properties as well. As an interesting side note, boiled potato peel dressings may be an effective treatment for skin wounds in some third-world countries where modern skin graft procedures are not available. Preliminary studies conducted at a children's hospital in Bombay, India, using a dressing prepared from boiled potato peelings attached to standard gauze bandages, have demonstrated good therapeutic effect in promoting healing and keeping burns from becoming infected.

Patients noted pain relief, while physicians noted reduced levels of bacterial contamination and faster healing with the use of boiled potato peel dressings.

A healthy high-energy snack, prunes provide antioxidants, calcium, magnesium, potassium, fiber, iron, and vitamin A that may help reduce the risk of chronic diseases. For example, prunes are notorious for preventing and relieving constipation. The prune provides bulk to stool and decreases transit time.

The insoluble fiber in prunes provides food for "good" bacteria in the large intestine. When the "good" bacteria use this insoluble fiber, they produce butyric acid, which is a short-chain fatty acid that is the primary fuel for intestinal cells to maintain a healthy colon. These bacteria also form other short-chain fatty acids, such as acetic and propionic acid that are used as cellular fuel in the liver and muscles.

Additionally, prunes contain a large amount of phenolic compounds (184 mg per 100 g). These compounds, mainly neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acids, act as antioxidants to "bad" LDL cholesterol and thereby may act to protect the heart against disease. An investigation of the blood of 58 postmenopausal (approximately three to five years postmenopause) women who ate approximately 12 prunes per day for three months revealed the presence of enzymes and growth factors that indicated increased bone formation in their bodies.

These markers were not seen in women who did not eat prunes. Furthermore, none of the women in the study suffered any negative gastrointestinal side effects. Last, a single 100 g serving of prunes fulfills the RDA requirement for boron (2 to 3 mg).

Boron is a trace mineral essential for bone metabolism and is a necessary factor in preventing osteoporosis.

As a member of the cruciferous vegetable family, the radish shares the cancer-protective actions of its cousins broccoli, cabbage, kale, and Brussels sprouts. It has also been used as a medicinal food for liver disorders throughout history. Radishes contain a variety of sulfur-based chemicals that increase the flow of bile, thus helping to maintain a healthy gallbladder and liver and improving digestion.

In India, both radish roots and greens are used not only to prevent vitamin C deficiency, but as a diuretic, as an expectorant, to treat gastric discomfort, and as a laxative. Radish seeds are also used for cosmetic purposes. An emulsion of radish seeds, applied to the face, is said to remove blackheads and freckles.

Cooking destroys the vitamin C content of the root. Radish greens, which can be added to green salads, have more vitamin C, calcium, and protein than the roots.

Raisins, like prunes, are often recommended to promote bowel regularity due to their high fiber content. However, a possible new use for raisins is as an alternative to sodium nitrite, a preservative commonly used in bacon, beef jerky, prepared lunch meats, and ham. Sodium nitrite has been found to break down into cancer-causing chemicals known as nitrosamines during digestion.

Food science researchers at Oregon State University have shown that ground-up raisins are an excellent substitute for sodium nitrite. In addition to inhibiting bacterial growth, raisins bring multiple nutritional benefits to products traditionally preserved with sodium nitrite because they are high in antioxidants and have lots of fiber. In blind taste tests, a scientific panel in Oregon State University's Sensory Research Laboratory in Corvallis evaluated raisin jerky, typical commercial-type jerky made with sodium nitrite, and jerky made without any preservatives.

The three types of jerky were evaluated for flavor, texture, chewiness, over-all liking, and appearance. Panelists ranked the 10 percent raisin jerky as superior to the sodium nitrite control and the preservative-free jerky in terms of over-all liking, flavor, texture, and appearance. The panelists said the sweet and tangy flavor imparted by the raisins was pleasing and that it made the jerky seem less salty.

Tofu is an excellent source of iron and calcium. It is also a very good source of protein, as well as the minerals manganese, selenium, and phosphorous. In addition, tofu is a good source of magnesium, copper, zinc, and vitamin B1.

Tofu is an excellent food from a nutritional and health perspective. It provides the same sort of protection against cancer and heart disease as soybeans. In one study, substituting tofu for cheese demonstrated impressive results in lowering blood cholesterol levels, in both men and women.

Yams contain a unique phytoestrogen called diosgenin, which is used as a starting material for the synthesis of the hormones estrogen and progesterone by drug manufacturers. Contrary to some popular claims, the human body cannot convert diosgenin into the human hormone progesterone; however, yams are still a superfood for women, especially since they possess phytoestrogen activity and are a good source of vitamin B6. One cup of baked cubed yam contains 24 percent of the daily value of B6, which is required by the liver, along with folic acid and other B vitamins, to detoxify excess estrogen.

This action is particularly beneficial in helping women improve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. At least a dozen double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated the positive effects of vitamin B6 in relieving PMS symptoms, including fibrocystic breast disease.

Pork is a versatile source of protein and is easy to prepare, and some cuts are low in fat, including tenderloin and extra-lean ham. However, many cuts, such as those from the side and other forms of ham, are high in fat.

Protein is the building block of the body and vitally important for building and repairing muscle, strengthening the immune system, keeping bones healthy, and making blood. It is also a component in hormone, enzyme, and antibody synthesis, and it raises your metabolism. Although protein can also be used as a source of energy for activity, it is used less than fat or carbs.

In addition, protein is digested slowly, leaving you feeling full longer.

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Plums and prunes are often used for their laxative effects. However, prunes are more effective than plums in this capacity. Plums are also good sources of neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid, two related compounds classified as phenols that have well documented antioxidant and anti-cancer effects.

The health-promoting ability of tomatoes has received a lot of attention recently because of their lycopene content. This red carotene has been shown to be extremely protective against breast, colon, lung, skin, and prostate cancers. It has also been shown to lower the risk of heart disease, cataracts, and macular degeneration.

Lycopene helps prevent these diseases and others by neutralizing harmful oxygen free radicals before they can damage cellular structures. In one of the more detailed studies, Harvard researchers discovered that men who consumed the highest levels of lycopene (6.5 mg per day) in their diet showed a 21 percent decreased risk of prostate cancer compared with those eating the lowest levels. Men who ate two or more servings of tomato sauce each week were 23 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer during the twenty-two years of the study, than men who ate less than one serving of tomato sauce each month.

In another study, lycopene supplementation (15 mg per day) given to patients with existing prostate cancer was shown to slow tumor growth, shrink the tumor, and lower the level of PSA (prostate specific antigen, a marker of cancer activity) by 18 percent. The amount of lycopene in tomatoes can vary significantly, depending upon the type of tomato and how ripe it is. In the reddest strains, lycopene concentration is close to 50 mg per kg, compared with only 5 mg per kg in the yellow strains.

Lycopene appears to be relatively stable during cooking and food processing. In fact, you actually get up to five times as much lycopene from tomato paste or juice as you do from raw tomatoes, because processing "liberates" more lycopene from the plant's cells. Eating a lycopene source with oil, such as olive oil, can also improve its absorption.

That's one reason why a Mediterranean diet has so many healthful properties.