4 benefits of Daikon Radish

Daikon radishes are quite popular in Asian cooking, both for its flavor and potential medicinal benefits. This cruciferous vegetable has many names- luobo, icicle radish, winter radish, oilseed radish, and white radish. It grows slowly and resembles a large carrot in appearance. It has a mild flavor and tastes slightly sweet yet spicy when fully grown. This non-starchy vegetable is present in the hues of reds, purple, and green color and cylindrical, spherical, and oblong shapes. It can be used for livestock, people, or to extract seed oil for manufacturing cosmetics. Read on to know about 4 benefits of using daikon radish.

Daikon radish grows around the world, and it usually harvests in the colder months of the year. It is low in calories where each 12oz. provides merely 61 calories. However, it is rich in Vitamin C, and the same weight of daikon meets nearly 124% of the daily value of Vitamin C. This radish is also an excellent source of folate, potassium, and copper.

There are certain benefits associated with this vegetable.

Protective plant compounds

Daikon radish contains polyphenol antioxidant quercetin and ferulic acid, which offers potent anti-cancer, immune-boosting, and anti-inflammatory properties. It contains glucosinolates, which breaks down to create isothiocyanates that have been studied to fight cancer, particularly of the lung and colon.

For weight loss

It is a non-starchy and low-calorie vegetable. Several studies support the health benefit of eating a high fiber and low-calorie food like daikon radish to promote weight loss, as it increases the feeling of fullness and controls the appetite. In fact, one of the studies even mentioned that people who ate non-starchy vegetables had a lower level of insulin and less body fat.

Prevent chronic illnesses

Rich in potent vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, this nutritious vegetable protects against certain cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disorders. Including this cruciferous vegetable in our regular diet can help us to live a healthy and long life.

Culinary benefits

There are several ways to enjoy this vegetable. Daikon can be eaten raw as a crunchy topping, added to stir-fries and curry preparations, used in soups and stews, eat steamed and roasted, or enjoy it in kimchi and as daikon cakes.