The Underground Superfoods Transforming Winter Health
While they spend most of their lives hidden beneath the soil, root vegetables emerge as surprisingly vibrant, flavour-packed nutritional champions that could revolutionise your winter diet. According to leading registered dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton, these humble underground gems offer far more than meets the eye.
Walking through any UK supermarket or local greengrocer reveals impressive displays overflowing with turnips, sweet potatoes, beetroots, carrots and parsnips. Yet many Britons struggle to find inspiration for transforming these earthy vegetables into delicious, nutritious meals.
Why You Should Keep the Skin On
Dr Ruxton reveals a crucial preparation tip that could dramatically increase your nutrient intake. Peeling root vegetables is a nutritional mistake, as most of the valuable fibre and vitamins concentrate in the skin. Instead, she recommends giving them a thorough scrub before cooking to preserve these health benefits.
The dietitian explains that approximately two-thirds of people in the UK fail to consume the recommended daily amount of fibre. While many associate fibre primarily with bran flakes and wholemeal bread, vegetables provide an excellent and often overlooked source.
Simple Cooking for Maximum Nutrition
When it comes to preparation methods, Dr Ruxton advocates for quick, straightforward approaches like tray bakes. Her favourite one-pot meal involves roasting boneless chicken thighs alongside chunks of carrot, parsnip and potatoes – all with their skins intact, naturally.
She emphasises that combining winter root vegetables with protein and healthy fats enhances nutrient absorption, ensuring you reap the full spectrum of health benefits. For flavour enhancement, she suggests adding salt, black pepper and herbs like tarragon or rosemary, particularly when using frozen produce.
Regarding cooking oils, Dr Ruxton prefers olive oil for slower, longer roasting due to its rich polyphenol content – beneficial anti-ageing and anti-inflammatory plant compounds. For high-temperature frying, she recommends rapeseed oil because its flavour remains stable when heated.
Contrary to popular belief, Dr Ruxton notes that organic vegetables don't necessarily contain more nutrients than conventional produce. She prioritises buying local and seasonal to reduce food miles and support UK farmers, while emphasising that any vegetable consumption – whether tinned, frozen, fresh or juiced – represents a positive step given the UK's low intake levels.
The Nutritional Power of Individual Root Vegetables
Parsnips for Gut Health: Dr Ruxton identifies parsnips as containing the highest fibre content among root vegetables. Just one cup provides 6.5g of the recommended 30g daily fibre target. This fibre slows digestion and increases microbial diversity in the gut, potentially lowering risks of heart disease, stroke and bowel cancer.
Parsnips particularly excel in soluble fibre, which acts like a sponge in the digestive system, binding with cholesterol-rich bile and helping eliminate it before absorption into the bloodstream. This mechanism supports blood sugar control, reduces cholesterol levels and lowers blood pressure.
Additionally, cooked and cooled parsnips develop resistant starch, a carbohydrate that ferments in the large intestine as a prebiotic, producing short-chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and blood sugar levels. They also provide up to 25% of your daily vitamin C requirements, potentially shortening winter cold duration and fighting infections like pneumonia.
Beetroot for Heart Protection: These vibrant vegetables help combat inflammation that causes arterial plaque buildup, reducing heart attack and stroke risks. Professor Anni Vanhatalo from the University of Exeter explains that nitrate-rich diets benefit older adults particularly, as they naturally produce less nitric oxide with age.
Dr Ruxton adds that studies demonstrate beetroot juice can lower systolic blood pressure because its high nitrate content helps relax blood vessels. Recent research also suggests beetroot may boost beneficial mouth and gut bacteria that clear harmful cholesterol from blood.
Remarkably, drinking beetroot juice has shown potential for reducing dementia risk by improving blood supply to the brain. A study analysing 115 adults over 50 found those with higher levels of nitrate-processing bacteria performed better in memory, attention and complex task tests.
Sweet Potatoes for Immunity: When cold and flu season arrives, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and butternut squash provide an easy immune system boost through their high vitamin A content. The body converts beta-carotene – abundant in these orange vegetables – into vitamin A, essential for infection protection.
Registered nutritionist Rob Hobson notes that purple or orange-fleshed potatoes contain higher antioxidant levels due to increased polyphenols. A medium sweet potato delivers approximately 20% of the recommended daily vitamin C, which neutralises free radicals and enhances iron absorption for energy production.
Vitamin A also supports vision by contributing to retinal proteins that detect light. To preserve nutrients, Dr Ruxton recommends keeping skins on and roasting, baking or steaming sweet potatoes rather than boiling.
Swedes, Turnips and Artichokes for Brain Health: While leafy greens typically dominate brain health discussions, swedes and turnips belong to the brassica family, which forms a key component of the MIND diet designed to support cognitive function and protect against dementia-related decline.
Recent research indicates artichokes contain chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid B, linked to cell survival and elevated brain proteins that protect against memory impairments, anxiety and depression.
Carrots for Blood Sugar Control: A 2024 study revealed that eating baby carrots just three times weekly significantly increases skin carotenoids, associated with reduced chronic disease risk and improved immune function.
Dr Ruxton explains that carrots have one of the lowest glycemic indexes among root vegetables, meaning their natural sugars absorb slowly, preventing blood sugar spikes. Pairing carrots with other foods at meals can further moderate sugar absorption from subsequent treats.
Research by Dr Kristen Brant from Newcastle University explores how polyacetylenes – compounds in carrots and parsnips – may reduce cancer risk. Various studies suggest that consuming four carrots weekly could lower cancer development risk by approximately 17%.
Dr Ruxton cautions against overcooking methods like prolonged boiling or roasting, which can destroy valuable nutrients. She notes that most root vegetables (excluding potatoes) can be eaten raw to preserve their vitamin C content, which diminishes during cooking and extended storage.
This winter, embracing the colourful world of root vegetables could provide the nutritional key to protecting yourself from seasonal illnesses while delighting your taste buds with their surprising versatility and flavour potential.
