Hi ! 

Every month we explore the who, what, where, when and why of an important topic so by the end of the month, you’ll have more information and confidence to make meaningful changes to eat and live better with IBD.

This month’s theme: Root vegetables (part 3)

Quick recap: Root veggies don’t get their rightful praise. They’re beautiful, satiating, tasty and tolerated by most people with IBD. Over the last two weeks we discussed why these staple vegetables are excellent choices for people with active IBD or anyone else following a low-fiber diet, and we shared valuable IBD-specific nutrition and cooking tips for carrots and parsnips.

Previously, on Wellness By Food:

Week 1: Root vegetables overview

Week 2: Carrots and Parsnips

This week we’re talking turnips, rutabagas, and beets!

Turnips & Rutabagas (the original jack-o'-lanterns)

Did you know that rutabagas and turnips predate pumpkins as the earliest jack-o'-lanterns? Children hollowed them out, filled them with glowing coals and carried them around to frighten away evil spirits. Now if that’s not a fun fact to impress at your next zoom happy hour, we don’t know what is! 

But these roots aren’t scary at all. Unlike other members of the Brassica family, like Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, turnips and rutabagas are much less likely to cause intestinal gas. Another fun fact! :) 

Turnips and rutabagas aren’t the same vegetable, but they are related, look alike, and used interchangeably. Turnips are smaller and usually white with purplish tops, whereas rutabagas look like big yellow turnips. In Ireland, “turnip” means rutabaga, and some people call rutabaga swedes.

In the Northeast, both turnips and rutabagas are in season through November, so we encourage you to seek them out at your local farmer’s market. If you live somewhere else, check out this “Seasonal Food Guide” to see if they’re in season.

Nutritional Highlights for IBD

Like other vegetables, turnips and rutabagas are terrific sources of a variety of vitamins and minerals, including calcium and magnesium, two minerals that many with IBD are deficient in.

Also, like other brassica (cruciferous) vegetables, turnips and rutabagas are excellent dietary sources of glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are special compounds that protect against certain cancers, including those of the gastrointestinal tract.  

Plus, cooked rutabaga and turnip offer soft, gut-friendly fiber. Scott never ate rutabaga until diagnosed with Crohn’s, and he’s still thankful for the discovery. It was the one of the first vegetables he could tolerate when he was slowly adding back veggies. He tolerated rutabaga even when he couldn’t handle cooked baby spinach.

Turnips & Rutabagas in the Kitchen

You can eat turnips raw or cooked, but we strongly encourage those with delicate GI tracts to stick with peeled and cooked turnips. Rutabagas must be peeled and cooked. Enjoy turnips and rutabagas mashed, roasted, in a root vegetable soup, or baked as fries or chips.

Turnips have always appeared at Colleen’s Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, but no other time throughout the year. For a long time, she assumed they were a rare holiday treat. However, turnips are too delicious and nutritious to save only for special occasions.

Here is a super easy, yummy recipe for mashed turnips that is also appropriate on a low roughage diet.

Buttered Turnips

WHAT YOU NEED

Smooth, bright, firm turnips

Salt

Grass-fed butter, ghee or coconut oil

MAKE IT

1. Leave smaller turnips whole or cut in half. Peel larger turnips and cut into medium pieces.
2. Combine cut turnips, a large pinch of salt, and a knob of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not add water. Cover and cook until turnips are tender, stirring as needed to prevent them from burning.
3. When tender, mash them with a potato masher and add more butter and salt if needed.

Brilliant Beetroot

Beets are polarizing. Most people love them or hate them. But we encourage everyone to try them more than once. 

Beets come in many colors. Red beets are the most common, but you’ll also find pink, golden, white and striped (candy cane) beets. Red beets are the earthiest, whereas the others are lighter-flavored.

Beets are a three-in one vegetable since the root, stems and greens are all edible. 

Nutritional Highlights for IBD

Beets contain a variety of important nutrients, including folate, vitamin C and magnesium — three nutrients that run low in people with IBD. Plus, their vibrant colors tell you they’re full of special antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Of note, beets are a terrific source of naturally occurring nitrates, which can improve endurance exercise performance. 

Well-cooked beets are a wonderful source of soft, gut-friendly fiber. That’s why they’re often recommended on “low-fiber” diets for IBD. However, note that they are high in FODMAPs, which can worsen gastrointestinal symptoms in sensitive individuals. Start with just 1-2 slices of cooked beets (~20 grams). 

Also, bear in mind that beets can turn your urine and stool red. Scott avoided them while he was flaring because he wanted to identify blood in his stool if it was there.

Beets in the Kitchen

“Salads” top the list of foods people with IBD miss during flares. 

According to the dictionary, salad is a “cold dish of various mixtures of raw or cooked vegetables, usually seasoned with oil, vinegar, or other dressing and sometimes accompanied by meat, fish, or other ingredients.” 

By definition, even those on a “low-fiber” diet need not avoid all salads. Cooked beets make for an excellent “salad.” Check out Bertina’s “Beet & Carrot Salad.” 

If you’re not a fan of beets but you want to reap their health benefits, you might try them in a smoothie. Paired with sweet fruits, you’ll hardly notice them. If you have a high-powered blender, you won’t even need to cook them first. 

Coming up later in the month

Next week, Bertina will share an original root recipe to add to your IBD-friendly diet!

As always, send us your questions and feedback!

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Did you know that smoothies are one of the simplest and tastiest ways for people with inflammatory bowel disease to consume wholesome foods, including fruits, vegetables and other high-fiber foods, like nuts and seeds EVEN while following a “low-fiber” diet.

Learn everything you ever wanted to know in our book Smoothies to the Rescue!  

Check it out

Do you have a question about these topics, or something else? Just reply with your question to this email and it may appear in an upcoming newsletter.

In good health,

Colleen, Bertina & Scott

This newsletter is for informational purposes only and is in no way intended as medical counseling or medical advice. Results may vary