Why you should try using radishes in your meals?

Radishes tend to get overlooked by many people.  Oh yes, many of us may have seen a radish at least once a year during our childhood. Someone took the time to make those radish flowers at holiday meals!

Chances are, however, unless you grew up with a vegetable garden, have a garden now, or frequent farmer’s markets, you’ve forgotten about radishes.  Or you may think you don’t like them because you’ve only had them raw and didn’t like their peppery flavor.

5 reasons to try using radishes when cooking or planning meals:

1) Radishes are high in flavor but low in carbs.

If you are trying to lose weight or trying to manage your blood sugar levels because of diabetes or pre-diabetes, radishes are a non-starchy, low carb vegetable to consider adding to your meals.  Why?

Five medium radishes (about 1″ in diameter each) have just 1 gram of carbohydrates. To say they are “low carb” is an understatement!

They are also low in calories.  Five medium radishes (about 1″ in diameter each) have only 9 calories.  That’s a lot of food for practically no calories and no carbohydrates.

2) Radishes are low FODMAP

In fact, radishes have no FODMAPs at all. To many people, this fact doesn’t matter. If, however, you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) it can be wonderful news.  Or, if you are in the elimination phase or the challenge phase of the FODMAP diet, this is great news!  Why?

Because radishes are a wonderful substitute for both raw and cooked onions, which need to be avoided in the first two phases of the low FODMAP approach to managing IBS.

If a person completes these two phases and finds that they react to foods that have fructans in them, onions should be avoided or limited as they can trigger the unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms of IBS.

3) Cook radishes: They are like onions and get milder and sweeter when cooked

The heat deactivates the enzyme that contributes to their pungency. If you don’t like them raw, try them cooked – you will be surprised.  Pickled radishes can be good too.

So how do you cook them?  Roasted radishes are easy to make.  Contrary to raw radishes, they are quite mild.  I recommend adding a bit of salt and pepper or other spices before you cook them or dressing them with a vinaigrette of some type soon after they come out of the oven.  This makes an interesting non-starchy side vegetable side dish that can also be served chilled.

The way I most frequently cook radishes is to saute them as you do with onions.  “Sautéed Radishes with Olives”  is a recipe I often use.  While anyone can enjoy it, it is a low FODMAP recipe if you’re dealing with irritable bowel syndrome.

4) They are relatively inexpensive and budget friendly.

Depending on the time of year, some grocery stores sell them for less than $1.50 per bag.  If you have access to a local farm or farmer’s market, however, try their radishes. They may be more expensive, but you will find different varieties that come in many colors with flavors that range from mild to pungent.  Plus, you’ll be supporting local agriculture.

5) They keep well.

That makes radishes perfect for when it’s just before your next grocery shopping trip, and there’s not much left in the refrigerator!  It also means that if you only use a few at a time, they won’t go bad.

How to store radishes: 3 methods for keeping radishes crunchy

So what’s the best way to keep radishes in the refrigerator? That’s a matter of some debate.  There are 3 common methods that I’ll explain below.  What they all have in common is that they limit the amount of air that reaches the radishes.  The cold air of your refrigerator tends to dry food out.  This is not good for keeping your radishes crisp and crunchy.

Radish storing method 1:

Remove the tops and most of the root tip from your radishes and give them a light scrub under cool running water.  Using a soft vegetable brush helps.  There’s no need to use “vegetable wash” to clean them.  Then place them in a container that has a tightly fitting lid, cover them with cool water, and seal the container.  Change the water every day or so.

This was the method my grandmother always used.  Although I learned many things from her, and she’s one of the people who inspired my interest in food, it’s not the method I use.  My refrigerator is often full. You can imagine what a mess it was when the container got tipped over.   After this happened twice, I stopped using this method. (I better things to do with my time!)

Radish storing method 2:

Clean the radishes as above, pat them dry and place them in a plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator.  While this will keep them for some time, it’s a method best used with caution.  Why?

Many people who see me for nutrition counseling tell me they will buy vegetables with every intention of using them and put them into the crisper when they get home.  Then they forget about them until the vegetables have gone bad.   “Out of sight, out of mind” is a common way to waste food and money in our busy lives.

I also avoid using this method because I’m trying to limit how many plastic bags we use.  Yes, there are some circumstances where they truly are the best or only option, but considering their cost in dollars and the environment, I like to try to use alternatives to them when I can.

Radish storing method 3:

Again clean the radishes as above and place them in a resealable glass or plastic container that has as little extra air space as possible. There are numerous options out there for “reclosable veggie pouches,” but I don’t use those. I find them hard to clean.  They can be expensive, especially if you keep as many vegetables as we do during the gardening season!

Instead, I use the same containers we use for keeping leftovers or freezing items.  If there’s a lot of extra air space to start with, or you’ll be keeping the radishes for longer than a few days, place part of a lightly dampened paper towel on top of the radishes. Then place the container on a shelf in your refrigerator and keep them on the front of the shelf! Why?

First, that helps avoid the “out of sight, out of mind” issue that happens with the vegetable crisper. The second reason to keep them in front is the back of your refrigerator is the coldest.   Depending on your settings and what shelf is used, your radishes might freeze!

Now that you know a bit more about radishes and how to keep them fresh add radishes to your grocery or garden list and try using them. As I explained above, radishes are a healthy low carb vegetable that’s budget friendly!

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