Michelle loves to eat turnips to fight cancer and help the star lose weight

A few days ago, a video of Michelle Obama holding a turnip and swaying to hip-hop music went viral on the Internet, making this vegetable an instant superstar. Many people who don't know turnips yet want to know who this bulbous vegetable is and why it is favored by the First Lady of the United States?

Michelle Obama opened a vegetable garden in the White House and invited American elementary school students to visit and harvest crops together, hoping to reduce the obesity rate in the United States by promoting the concept of natural diet. Among them, turnips are one of the vegetables harvested from the White House vegetable garden.

Turnips are a representative of winter vegetables and are anti-cancer star vegetables

Turnip is a bulb vegetable, and like broccoli and kale, it is a star anti-cancer vegetable belonging to the cruciferous family! In addition, according to Japanese doctor Ishihara Shinna's book "Don't Eat Wrong Anymore! The book "Follow the New Cuisine Doctor to Eat the Right Food and Stay Healthy" points out that turnip is also a representative winter vegetable that warms the body. It is also known as a natural digestive medicine that can warm the stomach and intestines and relieve abdominal pain caused by coldness. The white root is a light-colored vegetable like white radish, while the leafy part is classified as a green-yellow vegetable. The root contains amylase, which helps digest carbohydrates, and amylase, which breaks down starch, which can regulate gastrointestinal function and prevent heartburn.

For people who consume more nourishing foods in winter, eating turnips can not only relieve greasiness, strengthen the stomach and regulate the intestines, but also have the effect of promoting diuresis, lowering uric acid and improving gout.

1 turnip has only 34 calories

Megan Ware, an American nutritionist, told Medical News Today that according to nutrition data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a medium-sized turnip (about 122 grams) has only 34 calories, 0 grams of fat, 5 grams of sugar, 2 grams of dietary fiber and 1 gram of protein. Eating a medium-sized turnip can provide 54% of the daily requirement of vitamin C, 8% of manganese, 7% of potassium, as well as vitamin B-6, folic acid and copper. It helps with weight loss and lowering blood pressure. It is also a good vegetable with low calories and high nutrition!

[5 benefits of eating turnips]

1. Eating turnips can help you lose weight and detoxify

Cruciferous vegetables such as turnips are low in calories and high in fiber, which can help you feel full without eating too many calories. At the same time, turnips are high in fiber, and adding a high-fiber diet can delay the absorption of glucose in the intestines and reduce the extent of blood sugar rise. Reduce insulin secretion and have a better weight loss effect.

In addition, high-fiber turnips can promote healthy intestinal motility, prevent constipation, and allow the body's metabolic waste to leave the intestines as quickly as possible, helping the body detoxify.

Many recent studies have shown that dietary fiber also helps regulate the immune system and can more effectively inhibit inflammation in the body, thereby reducing the risk of diseases related to inflammatory symptoms, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and other diseases.

2. Eating turnips can fight cancer

Many studies have shown that a diet high in cruciferous vegetables, such as turnips, cauliflower and kale, can reduce the risk of cancer. In addition to containing a variety of anti-cancer polyphenols, cruciferous vegetables are also rich in sulforaphane compounds. Through chewing and biological reactions in the intestines, they become sulforaphane or kale, which can activate the detoxification enzymes in the human body, causing cancer cells to die and reducing symptoms such as poisoning, chronic diseases or inflammation.

Experiments studying turnip glycoside compounds found that their anti-cancer properties help delay or hinder the proliferation of cancer cells and can effectively prevent risks including malignant melanoma, esophageal cancer, prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer. Diets containing turnip thioglycoside compounds may be developed into dietary formulas for future cancer treatment.

3. Eating turnips can lower blood pressure

According to a study published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in 2013, vegetables containing dietary nitrates, such as turnips and kale, have a number of functions that are beneficial to vascular health, including lowering blood pressure, inhibiting platelet aggregation, and helping to maintain the function of vascular endothelial cells.

In addition, if there is too much sodium in the diet, it can easily cause problems such as high blood pressure, swelling, and edema. Turnips are also rich in potassium, which can balance the sodium ions in the body, lower blood pressure, and accelerate the metabolism of water retained in the body.

4. Eating turnips can help maintain your eyesight

Adequate intake of vitamin C helps maintain eye health and also protects against damage to the eyes caused by ultraviolet rays. Many cruciferous vegetables contain more vitamin C than citrus fruits. Just two medium-sized turnips can meet your daily vitamin C needs. In addition, consuming fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C has also been shown to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

5. Eating turnips can prevent diverticulosis

The so-called large intestine diverticulum refers to a sac-like structure caused by the depression of the surface of the large intestine. Age, abnormal intestinal motility, abnormal increase in intestinal pressure, or lack of fiber in the diet are all inducing factors. One cup of cooked turnips provides 4 grams of dietary fiber, which can absorb water in the large intestine, making intestinal peristalsis easier and reducing the risk of diverticulum lesions.

【Turnip selection and eating suggestions】:

If you like vegetables with a mild sweet taste, you should give priority to "small and heavy" turnips, because as turnips grow bigger, the taste will become spicier and the fiber will have a rougher texture. The freshness of turnips can be determined by the green leaves on them. The brighter the green, the fresher it is. The green leaves of turnips can also be used in salads or stir-fried dishes. European and American cuisine prefers roasted turnips to bring out the most natural sweet flavor, while Japanese people like to eat pickled turnips with rice.

【Health Tips】:

Like other root vegetables, turnips are high in nitrates, which may interact with nitrite medications. If you are a patient receiving such medication, you should ask your doctor or nutritionist to confirm whether you can take it.