In 2014, Heirloom Is The New Black

Carly Roop RD, CSO, is a registered dietitian at the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine Pennsylvania Hospital. Dietitians at the Abramson Cancer Center provide educational programs about nutrition that are open to patients as well as the community. Cancer-fighting recipes on this blog are the product of the quarterly series "Cooking Nutritious and Delicious Foods," which promotes seasonal healthy foods with cancer fighting properties.

Move over frisee …heirloom vegetables are the hot new menu item this year as predicted by research company Innova Market Insights a recent Food Ingredients Europe trade show in Frankfurt, Germany. These vintage veggies include parsnips, salsify, artichokes and the already trendy kale.

Parsnips

Parsnips are a member of the umbelliferae family of vegetables, related to carrots. In fact, parsnips look very similar to carrots but are lacking the beta-carotene that gives carrots their bright orange color. Large parsnips have a hard woody texture that softens when cooked or roasted yielding a sweet and nutty flavor perfect in soups, stews or just on their own.

Just 1 cup of parsnips provides 6 grams of dietary fiber which is almost a quarter of the daily amount of fiber recommended. Parsnips are also a good source of potassium which along with dietary fiber makes this veggie one heart friendly side. As well as a veggie that contributes to sweetness but not to spikes in blood sugar as a result of its high fiber content. Diets high in dietary fiber have also been linked to the prevention of some types of cancer. Parsnips are also a good source of vitamin C which may contribute to immune health by neutralizing free radicals in our bodies.

Salsify

Salsify pronounced sal-suhf-eye is a root vegetable belonging to the dandelion family. It looks like a long thin parsnip, but can have black or white skin and is covered in grass-like sprouts. Some people call it the oyster vegetable because it has a mild oyster –like taste when cooked. It can be boiled, mashed or used in soups or stews. Salsify is also good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, B6, riboflavin and potassium.

Artichokes

Did you know that artichokes are actually the immature flowers of a thistle plant? There are many varieties of artichokes such as Green Globe, Desert Glob, Big Heart, but the Jerusalem artichoke isn’t an artichoke at all, it is actually a member of the magnolia family. Artichokes contain the flavonoid silymarin, which has gained notoriety in the last few years for its role in providing protective support to the liver.

Kale

Kale will continue to trump iceberg in 2014. This versatile, nutrient rich green is packed with cancer fighting and anti-inflammatory properties, which certainly adds to its popularity. While quinoa was the grain to eat in 2013, ancient grains such as Freekeh and chia will be all the rage in 2014.

Adapted from "Food Predictions for 2014"

For more fun fact about your food check out 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life! By David Grotto