Give your next salad or side a crunch with this healthy tuber
How to buy
Look for firm, compact radishes. If the leaves are still attached, they should be fresh and bright green.
Cut & clean
Wash and trim radishes just before using, being careful to remove any sand, and soak them in ice water for an hour or two to increase their crispness.
Power food
Radishes are an excellent source of vitamin C.
Varieties
Radishes come in a number of varieties, ranging in color from red to purple to white, and in shape from small and round to long and oval. The most common radish is the oval, red-skinned variety, about the size of a cherry tomato. Daikon, a long, white, cylindrical variety that may weigh a pound (450g) or more, is used primarily in Indian and Japanese cooking.
Preparation, uses, and tips
Wash and trim radishes just before using, being careful to remove any sand, and soak them in ice water for an hour or two to increase their crispness. Use sliced raw red radishes in salads, or braise sliced daikon in a little sesame oil and serve hot.
Nutritional Highlights
Radishes, 1 cup (88g) (raw, sliced)
Calories: 23
Protein: 0.69g
Carbohydrate: 4.2g
Total Fat: 0.63g
Fiber: 1.85g
*Excellent source of: Vitamin C (26.4mg)
Daikon, 1 radish, 7 inches (17cm) long (oriental radish, raw)
Calories: 61
Protein: 2.03g
Carbohydrate: 13.9g
Total Fat: 0.34g
Fiber: 5.4g
*Excellent source of: Potassium (767mg), Vitamin C (74mg), and Folate (95mcg)
*Good source of: Magnesium (54mg)
*Foods that are an “excellent source” of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value. Foods that are a “good source” of a particular nutrient provide between 10 and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.
Copyright 2007, Healthnotes, Inc., 1505 S.E. Gideon St., Suite 200, Portland, Oregon 97202, www.Healthnotes.com.
2006-09-07
