Nutrition of Parsnips

Parsnips may seem like an exotic vegetable that is unfamiliar to many, but what they have to offer your diet is twofold: Their fibre content is great for digestion and their sweet taste is satisfying without being high in calories.

Parsnips shine as a fibre source. They're high in soluble fibre, the type that helps lower cholesterol and keep blood sugar on an even keel.

They're a surprising source of folic acid, that B vitamin which women who are planning a family require to help reduce the risk of certain disabling birth defects.

Folic acid also plays a role in reducing heart disease and may help prevent dementia and osteoporosis bone fractures.

And potassium, an aid to blood pressure, is present in ample quantities.

Unlike their carrot cousins, however, parsnips lack beta-carotene.