The 14 Healthiest Root Vegetables You Can Eat

Sweet potatoes are one of the healthiest and most delicious root vegetables you can eat. They’re packed with fiber, B vitamins, vitamin A, and several other essential nutrients.

Here’s the nutrition breakdown for a 3.5-ounce (oz) serving of baked sweet potato with skin:2

Calories: 90
Protein: 2.01 grams (g)
Carbohydrates: 20.7 g
Fiber: 3.3 g
Vitamin A: 961 micrograms (mcg), or 107% of the Daily Value (DV)
Vitamin B6: 0.286 milligrams (mg), or 17% of the DV
Vitamin C: 19.6 mg, or 22% of the DV
Manganese: 0.497 mg, or 22% of the DV
Potassium: 475 mg, or 10% of the DV
Sweet potatoes contain a number of vitamins and minerals, but they are especially high in vitamin A. Plant foods, like sweet potatoes, contain provitamin A carotenoids, such as beta-carotene.3

The body converts some provitamin A carotenoids into the active forms of vitamin A, which are needed for immune function, cellular growth, vision, and other vital processes. Provitamin A carotenoids also have powerful antioxidant properties and protect against cellular damage that may otherwise lead to disease. Regularly eating foods high in carotenoids may help reduce your risk of several chronic diseases, including certain cancers and heart disease.4

2. Carrots
   High angle of fresh carrots from local vegetable market
   carolafink / Getty Images
   Like sweet potatoes, carrots are packed with provitamin A carotenoids like beta-carotene. This gives these sweet and crunchy root vegetables powerful antioxidant properties.5

One cup of carrot slices provides:6

Calories: 50
Protein: 1.14 g
Carbohydrates: 11.7 g
Fiber: 3.4 g
Vitamin A: 1,020 mcg, or 113% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 0.169 mg, or 10% of the DV
Vitamin K: 16.1 mcg, or 13% of the DV
Potassium: 390 mg, or 8% of the DV
Carrots are high in vitamins A, B6, and K. They also provide a good amount of potassium, a mineral that’s essential for blood pressure regulation.7

Because carrots are so nutritious and high in antioxidants, their intake has been linked to a number of health benefits, such as a reduced risk of multiple cancers, including colorectal, leukemia, pancreatic, lung, breast, and prostate cancer.8

3. Radishes
   Radishes in a market basket
   Cavan Images, Inna Chernysh / Getty Images
   Radishes get their spicy, peppery taste from sulfur-containing compounds called isothiocyanates, which have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in the body.9 They’re also high in vitamin C, a nutrient that plays several essential roles in health.

One cup of raw radishes provides:10

Calories: 18.4
Protein: 0.8 g
Carbohydrates: 3.9 g
Fiber: 1.8 g
Vitamin C: 17 mg, or 19% of the DV
Radishes are very low in calories but are loaded with vitamin C. Just one cup of radishes covers nearly 20% of your daily needs for vitamin C, which functions as an antioxidant and is required for collagen synthesis, immune function, neurotransmitter production, and more.11

In addition to vitamin C and isothiocyanates, radishes provide coenzyme Q10, anthocyanins, and phenolic acids, all of which have cell-protecting properties.9

4. Purple Potatoes
   Purple sweet potatoes on wooden background, top view
   Nungning20 / Getty Images
   Purple potatoes are high in pigments called anthocyanins. These pigments give purple potatoes their beautiful color and extra health benefits. Anthocyanins have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. A diet high in anthocyanin-rich foods, like purple potatoes, may be especially beneficial for the heart.12

One study of 14 men found that consuming 200 g of cooked purple potato per day for 14 days improved arterial stiffness (compared to white potatoes). Arterial stiffness—stiffening of the arterial wall—is associated with heart disease, an increase in cardiovascular events such as heart attack, and dementia. Purple potatoes can improve artery health due to their powerful anti-inflammatory effects.13

In addition to being high in antioxidants, purple potatoes also provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

A 100 g serving of purple potatoes provides:14

Calories: 74
Protein: 2.03 g
Carbohydrates: 17.6 g
Fiber: 1.4 g
Potassium: 419 mg, or 9% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 0.135 mg, or 8% of the DV
Vitamin C: 18.2 mg, or 20% of the DV
Purple potatoes contain several vitamins and minerals essential to health, such as vitamin C, potassium, and B6, a B vitamin that’s required for more than 100 enzymatic reactions in the body.15
National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B6.

5. Celery
   A fresh group of celery from market shelves
   delmonte1977 / Getty Images
   Celery juice has become a popular way to hydrate and increase the consumption of protective plant compounds, such as polyphenols like caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and kaempferol.16 Eating whole celery can also boost health by providing fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Here’s the nutrition breakdown for a 128 g serving, or two large stalks, of celery:17

Calories: 17.9
Protein: 0.8 g
Carbohydrates: 3.8 g
Fiber: 2 g
Potassium: 332 mg, or 7% of the DV
Folate: 46 mcg, or 12% of the DV
Vitamin K: 37.6 mcg, or 31% of the DV
Celery is very low in calories because it’s made up of 95.4% water. This is why it’s such a popular ingredient in green juices.

Even though it’s low in calories, eating two celery stalks covers 12% of your daily needs for folate. Folate is a B vitamin essential for red blood cell development, brain function, fetal neurological development, and more.18

Celery is also an excellent source of vitamin K, which is needed for skeletal health, blood clotting, and many other important body functions.19