8 Amazing Daikon Benefits You Should Know
Many amazing daikon benefits may include a stronger immune system, lower inflammation, and improved digestion. It can also help strengthen bones, detoxify the body, improve respiratory health, and promote weight loss.
What is daikon?
Daikon is a type of white winter radish that grows primarily in Southeast and East Asia. It is characterized by its large, fast-growing leaves and long, white roots. It is technically considered a cruciferous vegetable, so its leaves have many of the same daikon benefits. Its roots are also prized for their nutritional value and are often eaten as a vegetable or as part of cuisine in Japan, China, and other Asian countries as pickles.
Daikon is also commonly used as an ingredient in soups, salads, curries, rice dishes, and various condiments. The leaves are typically eaten as a green salad vegetable. The juice is best sold as a health drink to treat a variety of ailments.
Daikon has excellent properties, including low energy content and high nutritional value, making it a popular ingredient in many food products. Moreover, the health daikon benefits have been known for generations.
Types of daikon
There are many different varieties of daikon, each with slightly different tastes, structures, and appearances.
Some of the most common varieties are:
- Takayama
- Watermelon daikon
- Minowase
- KN-Bravo
- Miyasige White
- Shunkyo daikon
- Robak
- Korean daikon
Nutritional information in daikon
Daikon has a low-calorie nutritional profile but is rich in important micronutrients such as Vitamin C, copper, and folate. It is also a good source of dietary fiber, with about 2 grams per serving.
One serving (about 116 grams) of sliced daikon contains approximately:
- Calories: 20.9
- Total Carbohydrate: 4.8 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.9 g
- Sugar: 2.9 g
- Total Fat: 0.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.04 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.05 g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02 g
- Protein: 0.7 g
- Sodium: 24.4 mg (<1% DV*)
- Vitamin C: 25.5 mg (28%-34% DV)
- Copper: 0.1 mg DV)
- Potassium: 263 mg (8-10% DV)
- Folate: 32.5 μg (8% DV)
- Vitamin B6: 0.1 mg (6-8% DV)
- Magnesium: 18, 6 mg (4-6% DV)
- Pantothenic acid: 0.2 mg (4% DV)
- Iron: 0.5 mg (3-6% DV)
Daikon is an excellent source of various nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, and copper. Nevertheless, it has the highest content of vitamin C and folate.
Vitamin C is a water-soluble nutrient essential for health and is required for many body functions, including immune system function and tissue growth and repair.
It also acts as a powerful antioxidant, protecting the body’s cells from oxidative damage.
Daikon are also rich in folate, a B vitamin that’s involved in cell growth, red blood cell production, and DNA synthesis.
Folic acid plays an important role in the growth and development of your baby, so foods rich in folate are especially important during pregnancy.
Ways to use daikon in cooking
Daikon are delicious, raw, pickled, or cooked. They are an important ingredient in Asian cuisine but also lend themselves to many other dishes.
Here are some of the best daikon recipes you should try:
1. Grate raw daikon onto salads for a nutritious, crunchy topping.
2. Add daikon to stir fries for extra flavor.
3. Make Korean diced daikon kimchi using this recipe.
4. Use lettuce instead of carrots in soups and stews.
5. Steam daikon and season with olive oil, salt, and pepper for a low-calorie side dish.
6. Mix daikon with diced potatoes and carrots and roast them.
7. Serve raw, sliced daikon with other vegetables as a healthy appetizer with a delicious dip.
8. Use this recipe to make traditional Chinese daikon cakes.
9. Make daikon noodles using a spiralizer and toss them in a homemade peanut sauce.
10. Add daikon to vegetable spring rolls for a crunchy texture.
11. Use daikon in Asian dishes like curries and soups.
Note that all parts of the daikon are edible, including the green leaf tips, and can be sautéed or added to soups.
8 health daikon benefits
Daikon benefits in life; we will take a closer look below.
1. May improve digestion
Daikon juice has also been shown to contain enzymes similar to those found in the human digestive tract, such as amylase and esterase. These enzymes allow for more efficient digestion of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. This can prevent constipation and improve nutrition absorption in the intestine. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Food & Nutritional Sciences found that when animal protein is combined with nutritious vegetables, daikon can improve protein digestion and increase metabolic bioavailability in the body.
2. May strengthen the immune system
According to the Department of Agriculture, daikon may contain up to 22 mg of vitamin C per 100g. This amount of vitamin C also makes radish ideal for the immune system as it stimulates the production of white blood cells. This promotes the healing and repair of cells and tissues throughout the body. Radish leaves are also considered the richest source of vitamin C. So if you want to boost your health, eat a radish leaf salad with some radish juice.
3. May have antibacterial properties
daikon may have notable antibacterial and antiviral properties. Laboratory experiments have shown that its extracts exhibit strong antibacterial activity against various pathogenic microorganisms such as Hafnia alvei, Lactobacillus, and Bacillus thuringiensis, as well as fungal species such as Penicillium lilacinum. Thanks to its antibacterial properties, daikon has proven very effective in treating conditions such as respiratory diseases. Excess mucus in the respiratory tract can trap and grow bacteria. Daikon juice loosens the mucus and removes bacteria and other pathogens, keeping the respiratory system healthy.
4. Can help detoxify the body
Daikon has long been known as a natural diuretic and can promote urination. This helps keep the kidneys clean and functioning at a high level. Excretion of excess toxins, fats, and even water is promoted through urination.
5. Helps you lose weight
Consuming daikon can help you feel full and provide your body with important nutrients without significantly increasing your daily dietary calorie or cholesterol intake. It is ideal for weight-loss diets due to its low calorie and cholesterol and high fiber and nutrient content. A 2019 animal study showed that daikon may be effective in reducing obesity.
6. May be useful for skin care
Daikon oil is relatively rare, but it can be applied directly to the skin for anti-aging effects. Eating daikon regularly can produce similar results. The vegetable’s antioxidant properties help ward off the effects of free radicals, which are harmful by-products of cellular metabolism. These may prevent wrinkles, improve skin radiance, increase blood flow to the skin, and even reduce the appearance of dark spots and blemishes.
7. Improve bone health
Like most other cruciferous vegetables, daikon is a rich source of calcium, which is essential for bone health. If you are at risk for osteoporosis or are starting to experience age-related pain, including radishes in your diet may improve your condition, thus slowing down the natural aging process.
8. Maybe an anti-inflammatory
Studies have shown that the anti-inflammatory compounds found in daikon juice, its roots, and leaves can significantly reduce inflammation. Antioxidants promote heart health and reduce the risk of arthritis. It may also help treat gout and reduce discomfort and pain caused by injuries or muscle strains.
Side effects of using daikon
Although rare, daikon may cause negative side effects in some people, such as food allergy symptoms such as hives, itching, and digestive discomfort. If you experience any side effects after consuming daikon, discontinue consumption immediately and consult your doctor.
If you have had thyroid problems in the past, keep in mind that cruciferous vegetables may interfere with the production of thyroid hormones. Although most studies have shown that it takes a large intake of cruciferous vegetables to cause hypothyroidism, it is best to keep your intake moderate if you are concerned.
