White Vegetables

Brightly coloured, jewel-toned vegetables have long been the darlings of the nutritional world, yet it seems that white vegetables may be the ultimate powerhouses. A recent study by Purdue University researchers explored the correlation between colour in vegetables and their nutritive value. It turns out that white is alright.

By turning a blind eye to paler produce, such as potatoes, turnips, cauliflower, onions, and kohlrabi, in favour of their more colourful cousins, we may be overlooking rich (and also more affordable) sources of necessary nutrients such as fibre, magnesium, and potassium.

Eating brightly coloured fruits and vegetables is important to good health. Experts recommend eating at least one dark green and one orange vegetable daily. These types of colourful veggies contain phytochemicals—compounds produced by plants that help protect cells from damage that could lead to cancer and other diseases.

But we’ve been blinded by the white: it turns out that colour is not 100 percent accurate in determining nutritional density. Not all disease-fighting phytochemicals can be seen in colour.

The naked human eye is limited: just like animals in nature, we all see colour differently; some colours stand out and others are invisible. Just because we don’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Many nutrients found in white vegetables, including vitamin C, potassium, fibre, calcium, and vitamin D, don’t even register on the electromagnetic spectrum.

The long-shunned potato may actually be the most beneficial of them all. Calorie for calorie, white potatoes have the highest satiety index of any food and also have the best quality plant protein, containing all four essential amino acids, putting them on a comparable level to the biological value of eggs. So while there is no official recommendation for white vegetables, we should start including them in our diet more often.

Recipes

• Kohlrabi Fritters
• Roasted Turnip, Potato, and Chickpea Salad with Chermoula
• Sicilian Crispy Cauliflower
• Mushrooms in the Gnudi
• Potato and Fennel Soup