We’re not sure who the first person was that pulled a radish out of the ground and came up with the idea of eating it, but we’re glad they did. Radishes grow in just about all parts of the world, but nobody’s quite sure where they started. It was in Europe, however, that people started to domesticate radishes to be eaten. While they could be eaten on their own, most people prefer to eat radishes along with other foods such as in a salad.
Radishes aren’t exactly packed with big flavor, but not many people would say that they taste bad. One thing that they are packed with, though, is nutrition. There are many different types of radishes, but the ones that you find in the store most often are the round red globe radishes. Eating more of these is going to help your health tremendously, and we’ll explain why as we look at the nutritional breakdown and proven health benefits from radishes.
Nutrition of Radishes
If you like a food that’s incredibly low in calories, carbohydrates and fat, you’ll really like radishes. There are fewer than 20 calories in each cup of sliced radishes, with just four grams of carbs and 0.1 grams of fat. There isn’t much protein in radishes, but you’ll find nearly 10 percent of your daily recommendation of dietary fiber. As for the vitamins and minerals, vitamin C is the key one here with nearly one third of your daily recommendation.
Other vitamins that come in smaller amounts around five to 10 percent include vitamin K, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and folate. All of the minerals are in the same five to 10 percent category, with the most abundant being potassium, manganese, copper, calcium and magnesium. Another bonus that you get from radishes are 36 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, no cholesterol and eight milligrams of phytosterols. These numbers mean you can eat a lot of radishes, get a lot of benefits and very few calories or drawbacks.
Diuretic Food
Giving thought to your urinary system doesn’t really happen too often until you start to experience some problems. Before those problems can even arise, it’s important to eat foods such as radishes to keep everything in working order. Radishes are one of the better foods for your urinary system because it acts as a diuretic, helping your body to not only produce more urine, but also help against inflammation that causes discomfort.
Radishes help to flush out your kidneys, getting rid of problems that aren’t chronic by flushing out the toxins. Even after helping inflammation, it’s unlikely to come back as repair is done to your kidneys and allows them to not store toxins in the future. For those that have problems with kidney stones, radishes are a huge ally in the battle against the issue.
Ravishing Radishes
When you’re trying to lose some weight (especially in these warmer times of the year), you likely tend to eat a lot of salads. Radishes make for great additions to your healthy salad since they’re tremendously low in calories. You’re probably not even adding a whole cup to one salad, but if you do, it’s under 20 calories. If you’re daring enough, then you can even eat radishes by themselves for a quick and small snack.
Radishes are also high in fiber, which has been shown to help improve your metabolism and even burn belly fat with more efficiency. Keeping your blood sugar in check is another way of increasing your ability to lose weight, and radishes help with that. Maintaining a good overall health is key for weight loss, and radishes are a great part of getting that health.
Disease Prevention
As we mentioned earlier, the vitamin that stands out above the rest for radishes is vitamin C, which is a big factor in maintaining a healthy immune system. The better immune system will help your body fight off colds and flus while also fighting off free radicals. Along with other antioxidants, vitamin C has been shown to reduce your chances of developing most types of cancers, especially mouth and kidney cancer.
There are other diseases that you can fight off by eating more radishes thanks to antioxidants. This includes leucoderma, which is the loss of pigmentation in certain parts of the skin. Other diseases where radishes are highly effective include those in the respiratory system, and even diabetes.
Digestive Health
The fiber that we mentioned which is so beneficial for losing weight also translates into better digestive health. Radishes are a great way to get some more fiber into your diet, allowing your gut to produce more probiotics. This will make you more regular in terms of bathroom visits, while also getting rid of problems that include constipation and diarrhea.
If you have common problems with piles as a result of constipation, stimulating your digestive tract with fiber is important. Eating more fiber in your diet is also beneficial in preventing certain types of cancers, especially in the stomach and colon. So no matter what types of issues you’re having in the restroom, eating radishes is one of the best natural ways to take care of them.
Jaundice Prevention
If you’re not sure what jaundice is, it’s a disease that can cause a yellow pigment in both your skin and eyes. While most people survive jaundice with no problems, it can potentially be fatal. Jaundice is typically caused by high levels of bilirubin in the blood, or extremely low levels. Eating more radishes helps to keep these numbers at a healthy level. If you experience jaundice, though, make sure to visit a doctor first to see if it’s the result of your diet.
Summing it Up
Radishes have a ton of nutritional value that bring you some health benefits that will make sure you’re live is long and prosperous. So are there any negatives to eating radishes as part of your diet? Unlike many of the other healthy foods that we’ve looked at, the side effects are almost non-existent. It’s assumed that radishes are even safe for women that are pregnant or nursing, and the only real drawback is that eating several servings at a time of radishes can cause digestive irritation, but that’s true of any food, really.
The thing that you need to look out for is if you have gallstones. Those that get them regularly shouldn’t be eating radishes, as they can increase your amount of gallstones. If you have thyroid issues, you should speak with your doctor to make sure that radishes fit well into your diet. Outside of that, radishes have no drawbacks, and people that are perfectly healthy can feel free to eat them on a regular basis and enjoy the benefits!