In season now, fresh, crunchy turnips make a great addition to winter salads or with hummus dip as an appetizer.

Health benefits

Turnip is a great source of minerals, antioxidants, and dietary fibre. It is also very low-calorie. Surprisingly, it’s also loaded with immune-boosting vitamin C, with 21 milligrams per 100 grams, which is 35 percent of the recommended daily amount (RDA). Vitamin C is essential to your body for collagen synthesis as well as for scavenging free radicals, which may cause cancer and inflammation linked to various diseases.

The leafy green tops are more nutritionally dense than the crunchy white roots. They are rich in free radical-scavenging antioxidants like vitamins A and C, carotenoids, xanthin, and lutein. The leaves are also an excellent source of vitamin K, a direct regulator of the inflammatory response, and omega-3 acids like alpha linolenic acid (ALA), the building blocks for your body’s anti-inflammatory molecules.

Turnip greens also contain B vitamins, calcium, copper, manganese, and iron, as well as phytonutrients like quercetin and kaempferol, which help combat oxidative stress.

Bottom line: enjoy turnips now – and don’t throw away the leafy green tops – they are actually more nutritious than the roots, and are teeming with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.