Red cabbage, beet, kiwi: 3 healthy foods you’ve been guilty of ignoring

Beet has been linked to improved cardiovascular performance. Lavanya Kumara Krishnan/Flickr

There are some foods that we all gravitate towards and that’s not necessarily because they are addictive — like fries, for instance — but because they are considered healthy. So, oranges, apples, spinach, chickpeas… we consume a lot of these, secure in the knowledge that what we are consuming — in moderation, of course — is good for us, and also go out of our way to make space for yet others such as quinoa, or rajgira in our diets. (If you were in the US, you’d be eating kale —  by the truckload). On the other hand, though, there are also foods that never really get their due despite them being having a healthy halo and tremendously beneficial to the human body. Here are some of them, and if you haven’t been eating them much, you really should.

Beetroot: You might have them once in a while as part of a salad, but beet mostly gets the short shrift. And that’s a pity because beetroot is great for the heart, and studies have linked it to improved cardiovascular performance. It is also rich in antioxidants, contains a lot of nutrients, and aids in keeping cholesterol in check.

WATCH: How to make beetroot curry

 

Saaleha Bamjee/Flickr

Cabbage (red): Chances are, despite eating it every once in a while, you’ve never really cared about cabbage. And that bias has also made you overlook the red cabbage. But, point is you should be eating it a lot more because the red/purple cabbage is high in fibre, contains many vitamins, including A and K, is great for purifying the blood and very low in calories. Not surprisingly, like the beet, it is also rich in antioxidants.

WATCH: How to make pulao rice with red cabbage

 

The kiwi aces the orange and banana when it comes to vit C and potassium, respectively. Areta Ekarafi/Flickr

Kiwifruit: Kiwis might be exotic — they still are in some parts of India — but no one makes an effort to get to know them better. If they did, they would find a wholesome delicious fruit that contains Vitamin E, helps keep blood sugar in check and also has way more vit C and potassium than an orange or a banana. So, instead of having just that one slice on your cheesecake, go ahead and buy a dozen of them today.