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

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 three 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, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga and beets.

Previously, on Wellness By Food:

Week 1: Root vegetables overview

Week 2: Carrots and Parsnips

Week 3: Turnips, Rutabaga and Beets

Meet Taro

Bertina says: While I was thinking about what to make for this week’s newsletter, Scott asked, “I forget, why did we pick rutabaga as one of the first vegetables to try when I was looking for vegetables I could tolerate?”  I answered, “because I thought the word ‘rutabaga’ sounded funny, and I didn’t think you would like parsnips or turnips”. So, we experimented a lot with rutabaga, but not as much with the other roots. For this month’s culinary experiment, I thought it would be fun to cook some parsnips or turnips.  

But I ran into a challenge with this plan. For the past two weeks, I’ve been living with my parents for COVID-related reasons. My parents live in an area that has limited supermarkets, so I wasn’t too surprised when I couldn’t find any of the less common root vegetables. I did, however, find an unexpected alternative already in their house - taro!  Taro is a purple root vegetable and staple food in African, Oceanic, and South Asian culture. It’s naturally sweet with a nutty flavor, and the texture and consistency are like potatoes.

Seeing taro brought back memories of eating plain boiled baby taro. Nothing complicated, but incredibly satisfying. Their creaminess hits the spot every time. Below you’ll find a recipe for Simple Boiled Taro.

Simple boiled taro is delicious, but I felt like trying something new, so I experimented with making baked taro chips. Sliced and baked, these taro chips are crispy, delicious, and a healthier alternative to chips. You may have eaten them without realizing it, since some fancier chip brands contain taro.[Colleen says: As I was reading this, I was thinking how I had never eaten taro, only to realize I was literally eating taro at the same time in the form of Terra chips!]

Taro Nutritional Highlights

Before I share with you two taro recipes, let’s quickly turn to Colleen for some IBD-specific nutritional highlights:

Colleen says… 

• One serving of taro (½ cup) is low-FODMAP, so it’s not likely to cause much gas or bloating.
• Since many of our readers follow a Paleo-style diet, it’s worth noting that taro is OK on a Paleo diet. However, it’s illegal on the popular specific carbohydrate diet (SCD).
• Like other root vegetables, the fiber in taro is soft and generally well-tolerated by people with GI issues. Taro has to be cooked, which helps to break down its fiber.
• Much of the fiber in taro is resistant starch, which can help form BMs and feed beneficial gut microbes.
• Taro is a good source of key micronutrients, including magnesium, vitamin C, potassium and vitamin E. People with IBD tend to consume low amounts of these nutrients.

Taro Recipes

Here are my recipes for Baked Taro Chips and Simple Boiled Taro. Try them and let us know what y’all think!

Baked Taro Chips

WHAT YOU NEED

• 1 tbsp olive oil to coat your baking sheets
• 1 large taro root, peeled and sliced 1/16 thick (if you want thicker, ⅛ would work too)
• Salt to taste

MAKE IT

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Coat two baking sheets with a thin layer of olive oil and set aside.
3. Place the taro slices in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. The slices can touch but should not overlap.
4. Brush the top layer of taro with a thin layer of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
5. Bake in the preheated oven until tops of chips are crisp, about 15 minutes; flip the chips and continue baking until the second side is crisp, about 15 more minutes.
6. Enjoy! 

Simple Boiled Taro  

WHAT YOU NEED

• 6 baby taro (or more) 
• Salt to taste (optional)

MAKE IT

1. Wash and scrub baby taro. Place them a medium size saucepan and cover with water; bring to boil over high heat.
2. Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the taro. 
3. Pierce with a fork to test for doneness; drain the water.
4. Peel baby taro and serve. Sprinkle salt to taste, if desired.

Coming up later in the month

Next week we’ll wrap up this month’s root vegetables series with one fun post-holiday newsletter inspired by a reader’s question:

“Does Bertina know how to make the turnip pudding dim sum squares? (In case you never tried them, they have a yummy mild flavor with smooth yet firm texture like baked custard.)”

Turnip cake (called Lo Bak Go) is a popular Chinese dim sum dish, and I get it every time I eat dim sum. Although my grandparents made it fresh each year for Chinese New Year, I’ve never attempted to make it myself.

Challenge accepted!

This week I’ll be busy in the kitchen trying to make an authentic gut-friendly turnip cake recipe.

Stay tuned, because next week we’ll report back on:

• Did the turnip cakes turn out well?
• How did they compare to versions at dim sum restaurants?
• Did Scott like them, and how did he feel after eating them?
• Did our toddler, Kyla, like it?
• How easy or difficult was it to make?

In the meantime, we wish all of you a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

________

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