Radish is one of the most used vegetables in Korean cuisine, along with Chinese cabbage, red pepper, and garlic. It is known to have a good effect on preventing adult diseases, improving gastrointestinal function, and preventing colds with various minerals and digestive enzymes, including abundant vitamin C. Radishes with many of these outstanding benefits are usually very white on the outside and inside. Watermelon radish is a vegetable that is white on the outside, similar to a normal radish, but has a red color on the inside. The country of origin is China, and now it is actively cultivated all over the world. Watermelon radish has twice as much sugar content as normal radish, so it is also called fruit radish. Due to its unique crunchy texture, it is widely used as an ingredient in various dishes such as raw vegetables, pickles, and dongchimi. In addition, it is recognized for its nutritional value as it is rich in antioxidants such as anthocyanins, glycosinolates, and vitamin C with abundant digestive enzymes and powerful antioxidants. Now, let’s check out the main benefits of watermelon radish one by one.
Main Benefits of Watermelon Radish
1. Gastrointestinal health
Watermelon radish contains a lot of digestive enzymes that are effective for gastrointestinal health, and it is said that the amount of watermelon is about 8 times higher than that of ordinary radish. This abundant amount of digestive enzymes aids digestion and has an excellent effect in helping the stomach and intestines function better. In addition, the effect of helping to suppress the production of Helicobacter pylori, the cause of gastric diseases such as gastric ulcer, and the effect of discharging accumulated toxins in the intestine are also effects obtained from the consumption of watermelon radish. Because of these effects, watermelon radish is also called a natural gastrointestinal medicine.
2. Antioxidant action
The characteristic red color inside the watermelon radish is due to anthocyanins, an excellent antioxidant. It is also rich in antioxidants such as glycosinolates and vitamins A and C. The antioxidants contained in watermelon radish are known to contain about 10 to 15 times more antioxidants than ordinary radishes. By the combined action of these abundant antioxidants, it can be expected to have a good effect in improving immune function by maximally blocking free radicals that attack cells and DNA.
3. Anticancer effect
The production of carcinogens is minimized by suppressing the production of cancer-causing hormones by the glycosinolates that are abundant in watermelon radish. In addition, it helps to prevent the growth of tumors, thereby helping to reduce the risk of cancer and anti-cancer effects. In particular, watermelon radish has been known to have the effect of lowering the risk of stomach cancer by inhibiting carcinogens.
4. Vascular Health
The aforementioned free radicals are the main culprits that cause damage to blood vessel function, increasing the risk of developing various vascular diseases. Watermelon radish has 15 times more antioxidants than normal radish, which protects blood vessels from oxidative stress caused by free radicals and helps reduce harmful cholesterol levels that cause inflammation.
other effects
The antioxidants, essential amino acids, and antioxidants contained in watermelon suppress fat absorption, and it can be expected to have a good effect as a diet food for weight control. In addition, the vitamins and various antioxidants rich in watermelon radish help to discharge wastes and toxins from the skin, and are excellent in removing free radicals, which are the main culprits that speed up the skin aging process by causing cell mutation, which is also good for maintaining healthy and elastic skin. can be seen.
