Healthy Gut: A Vegetable You Should Add to Your Diet

Radish. This humble vegetable may be less popular than others, but it’s no less tasty and healthy.

Maybe he rarely catches your attention when you go to the fresh fruit and vegetable section. However, based on its various health benefits, it deserves a place in your shopping cart and ultimately on your plate.

So:

1. Radishes are rich in vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that benefits your health on many levels. And the radish (ραπανάκι) turns out to be an excellent source of it. Just half a cup of radishes provides about 14% of the recommended daily allowance (according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) of vitamin C. Of course, vitamin C is a well-known ally of the immune system, but that’s not all. Its presence helps prevent cell damage and produce collagen, which in turn keeps skin and blood vessels healthy, adds dietitian Megan Rossi, Ph.D., MD.

2. Contains a number of beneficial trace elements
Vitamin C is not the only micronutrient found in radishes. There are many other antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in the root vegetable, including vitamin K, vitamin B6, folic acid, beta-carotene, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium, among others.

3. Rich in gut-friendly fiber
One cup of chopped radishes contains almost two grams of fiber. The root vegetable contains both soluble and insoluble fiber, which improves digestion in different ways. Soluble slows down digestion, which is good if you have stomach problems or bloating. Insoluble fiber speeds up digestion, which makes it indispensable in the fight against constipation.

4. Has an antifungal effect
Radishes contain the antifungal protein RsAFP2, which has been shown to protect against yeast infections, indigestion, fatigue, and other unwanted symptoms and conditions.

5. Protects against ulcers
Scientific studies show that radish juice can help prevent stomach ulcers by protecting stomach tissues and strengthening stomach lining.

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