Sharp, watery and low calorie — and the leaves are better for you than the root.
Radish roots are crisp, peppery and almost entirely water. The sharpness comes from the
same isothiocyanate family found across the cabbage group.
The leaves, which most
people discard, are considerably more nutritious than the root — higher in vitamin C,
calcium and iron. They are edible and good cooked like any green.
Radish is one of the
lowest-calorie vegetables available, which makes it useful for bulk without energy.
Per 100g of root.
Based on the nutrients and fibre this food supplies. These are supporting foods, not treatments.
Do not throw away the leaves. Cook them like spinach — they are
better nutritionally than the root.
Cold water restores crispness to
limp radishes.
Roasting mellows them completely — roasted radish
tastes closer to turnip than to raw radish.
Mooli (daikon) is the same
family, milder and much larger.
Radish's peppery heat comes from glucosinolates converting to isothiocyanates when the
cell walls are broken. The same reaction happens in mustard, horseradish and
wasabi.
Nutritionally the root is mostly water — useful for volume and crunch
rather than for nutrient density. The leaves are where the actual nutrition sits, which is a
common pattern in root vegetables and a common waste.
Kidney disease: potassium may need limiting. Ask your doctor for your
numbers.
IBS: several vegetables are high-FODMAP and commonly trigger
symptoms — tolerance is personal.
This is information, not a prescription. If you are managing a diagnosed condition or taking medication, talk to your doctor before making a large change to your diet.
Nutrition figures on this page come from standard food composition data. These links let you check the numbers and read the underlying research yourself rather than taking our word for it.