RUTABAGA OR SWEDE –
A Wonderful Food For Development
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson
© September 2021, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Contents
II. QUALITIES OF RUTABAGA OR SWEDE
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Rutabaga is not the cutest-looking vegetable. However, it is very important for health and development. Please do not skip it. Eat some every day, or better yet, have a little with each meal! Here are details about it.
A newer hybrid. Rutabaga is actually a hybrid food, a cross between a turnip and a wild cabbage. Its origin dates back to the 1700s.
Names. Rutabaga is the usual name given this vegetable in North America. In Europe, Australia and New Zealand it is often called swede or occasionally Swedish turnip.
II. QUALITIES OF RUTABAGA OR SWEDE
Nourishing in the extreme. However, when properly cooked, rutabaga softens and turns sweet, indicating that it is also a very nourishing food. In fact, it is one of the most nourishing of the vegetables because it is very rich in vital forms of minerals and in many vitamins.
Rutabaga is very rich in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins C and E and folate.
An anti-aging food. Rutabaga is high in anti-oxidants, including lesser known ones called glucosinolates. These nutrients, along with its other vitamin and mineral content, help prevent premature aging, reduce inflammation, and improve collagen synthesis. All of this is associated with a lower risk of cancer and other diseases of aging.
Healthy fiber. Rutabaga is high in insoluble fiber. This assists intestinal activity, helps prevent constipation, and feeds the healthy flora in the intestines. Proper intestinal flora produces certain vitamins and convert certain minerals to more usable forms inside our intestines.
Weight loss. Rutabaga is helpful to lose weight because it is rich in fiber. This tends to fill you up so you don’t eat as much of other calorie-rich foods. The effects of rutabaga in promoting healthful intestinal flora can also contribute to weight loss in those who are overweight. Eat more of this vegetable if you need to lose weight.
Healthy potassium. Our food today is loaded with toxic forms of potassium thanks to the use of superphosphate fertilizers of N-P-K fertilizers. Rutabaga does not pick up much of this toxic potassium. Instead, it is very high in excellent compounds of potassium. One medium-sized rutabaga contains 35% of one’s daily need for potassium.
In contrast, all fruit picks up a lot of toxic potassium and this is one reason we suggest avoiding fruit today.
Healthful potassium is absolutely required for the nerve signaling, fluid balance, and blood pressure. It is also needed for proper muscular activity, to avoid muscle cramps, and for many other body functions. A diet high in the proper forms of potassium is associated with lower blood pressure and a lower risk of stroke and heart disease.
Documentation in the medical literature for the above is at 7 Powerful Benefits Of Rutabagas. NOTE: This is a standard medical website, and we don’t agree at all with them about many aspects of health and nutrition. However, the article on rutabagas contains many medical references.
A Wonderful development food. Selenium and zinc we call spiritual minerals because they are so important for development. Rutabaga contains excellent forms of these minerals, especially selenium, that are present in few other foods.
Warming or yang. Rutabaga is a root so it is a more yang food, similar to carrots and daikon. However, rutabaga is fairly large and yellowish in color, so it is not quite as yang as carrots.
Bitter. Uncooked rutabaga is bitter, a quality associated with foods that nourish the liver. When uncooked, it is also quite hard and somewhat difficult to cut. This is also associated with certain foods that are needed by the liver.
Shopping for rutabaga. Try to buy organically grown rutabaga because it is somewhat better than the standard rutabaga. Standard rutabaga may have a coating of wax on it, so wash it well. We don’t recommend peeling it, however, because the skin contains many nutrients.
Rutabaga should have a yellowish color. Occasionally, unripe roots are sold that have a whitish color.
Some rutabagas have little rootlets or “fingers” on one end. This is fine. Don’t waste them – slice them thin and eat them.
If your supermarket or health food stores do not sell rutabaga, keep asking them to carry it.
Cooking. To cook, cut off very thin slices. The thinner the better. If thin enough, when you cook it with your other vegetables, it will soften and turn sweet. Only then is it ready to eat.
Some books and websites suggest eating rutabaga raw, roasted, fried or mashed. For development, the best is thinly sliced and cooked for just until it is softens and sweetens. It can also be added easily to soups and purees.
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