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| Parsnips |
| Members of the umbelliferae family, along with carrots and celery, parsnips are nowhere near as popularbut deserve to be. Because they look like carrots drained of color, you might think they're drained of nutrients as wellbut in fact these sweet and flavorful root vegetables are brimming with benefits. |
| Parsnips contain important cancer-fighting phytonutrients. They're also an excellent source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, and provide a good amount of folic acid, which helps prevent certain birth defects and reduces blood levels of homocysteine. |
| F.Y.I. |
| Parsnips |
| When you buy parsnips with the greens attached, be sure to snip off the greens before storing, or they will sap the roots of their nutrients. |
| To retain as many nutrients as possible, boil parsnips without peeling. |
| Potatoes |
| Many of potatoes' important nutrients, including potassium, are found in the skin. So try to buy organic potatoes, scrub well, and then bake rather than boil. |
| Potatoes |
| Potatoes needn't be orange and sweet to be nutritious: potatoes of every persuasion are among the best foods you can eat. Among other things, white potatoes are an energizing, satisfying source of complex carbohydratesmaking them, contrary to popular belief, a great choice for the weight conscious. (The only fattening part of potatoes is the butter and sour cream that are globbed on them.) A large baked potato also provides about 25 percent of your daily protein requirement; nearly half the RDA for vitamin C; nearly twice the potassium of a banana; good amounts of fiber; and B vitamins, particularly vitamin B 6. |
| Pumpkin |
| Often relegated to sugary pies and Halloween jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkins should be in regular rotation as antioxidant powerhouses. Just ½ cup of canned pumpkin (which is almost as nutritious as fresh pumpkin) contains between 160 and 260 |
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