Vegetables You're Probably Undereating—and Simple Ways to Change That

Beets are rich in folate, manganese, and naturally occurring nitrates, which the body converts to nitric oxide — a compound involved in supporting healthy blood vessel function. Despite this, beets remain largely absent from everyday meals outside of the occasional salad bar.

Simple way to use them: Roast cubed beets at 400°F with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt until tender (about 35–40 minutes). They're sweet, earthy, and hold up well in grain bowls or alongside roasted proteins. Pre-cooked beets in vacuum-sealed pouches are widely available and skip the prep entirely.

Swiss chard is a leafy green that provides vitamin K, magnesium, and potassium in meaningful amounts. It's often overlooked in favor of spinach or kale, but it's milder than both and cooks down quickly, making it one of the more weeknight-friendly dark leafy greens.

Simple way to use it: Sauté chopped Swiss chard — stems and leaves together — in olive oil with garlic for about five minutes. Add a splash of lemon juice at the end to balance the earthiness. It works well alongside eggs, pasta, or beans.

Cabbage is inexpensive, widely available year-round, and one of the more nutritionally dense vegetables per dollar — a point worth noting if you're navigating nutrition on a budget. It contains vitamin C, vitamin K, and fiber, and is part of the cruciferous family, which also includes broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Simple way to use it: Thinly slice green or red cabbage and toss with a simple vinaigrette for a quick slaw. It can also be sautéed with onion and caraway seeds as a simple side, or added to soups and stir-fries where it softens without losing all of its texture.

Kohlrabi looks unusual — like a small alien spacecraft — which may explain why many shoppers walk past it. But it's mild, slightly sweet, and crisp. It provides vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. Both the bulb and the leaves are edible.

Simple way to use it: Peel the bulb and slice it into thin sticks for dipping — it has a texture similar to apple or jicama when raw. It can also be roasted or added to soups. The leaves can be treated like any other cooking green.

When people buy turnips, the greens often get discarded — but they're nutritionally distinct from the root and worth keeping. Turnip greens are high in calcium, folate, and vitamins A, C, and K. They're among the more calcium-rich plant foods available.

Simple way to use them: Chop and sauté with garlic and a small amount of oil until wilted. They're slightly bitter, so a splash of apple cider vinegar or a pinch of red pepper flakes helps balance the flavor. They work well with lentils or alongside cornbread.

Celeriac — the bulbous root of a variety of celery — has a mellow, slightly nutty flavor and provides vitamin K, phosphorus, and dietary fiber. It's frequently overlooked because it looks gnarly and unfamiliar, but it's one of the more versatile root vegetables in a kitchen.

Simple way to use it: Peel, cube, and roast it like you would potatoes. It can also be blended into soups for creaminess without adding cream, or grated raw into a remoulade-style salad with mustard and lemon. Frozen versions are increasingly available at larger grocery stores.

Radishes are most commonly seen as a raw garnish, sliced thin and left on the side of a plate. But they're underused in cooked preparations, which significantly changes their flavor — the sharpness mellows into something mild and slightly sweet when roasted or braised. They provide vitamin C, folate, and some fiber.

Simple way to use them: Halve radishes and roast at 425°F with olive oil and salt for about 20 minutes. They caramelize gently and taste closer to a mild turnip than a sharp raw radish. Sliced thin, raw radishes also add crunch to tacos, sandwiches, and grain bowls — a small change that adds more nutritional value than many typical toppings.