Parsnip Juice: The Forgotten Vegetable Rediscovered

Parsnip is the forgotten vegetable par excellence. When I mention it to my patients, most don’t even know what it looks like. Yet before the potato, parsnip was the staple vegetable in Europe for centuries. Its juice has a surprising sweetness, almost sugary, with notes of hazelnut and anise. It’s a vegetable I rediscovered at an organic farmer at the Belleville market who grows it using biodynamic agriculture. He told me: ‘Parsnip is the vegetable of people who know.’ He was right.

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Bioactive molecules

Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is exceptionally rich in potassium (375 mg/100 g), folates (67 µg/100 g) and soluble fiber (4.9 g/100 g). Its vitamin C content (17 mg/100 g) is higher than that of carrots. The furanocoumarins (psoralen, bergapten) present in parsnip are photosensitizing compounds but also immune modulators at low doses. Manganese (0.56 mg/100 g) is a cofactor of pyruvate carboxylase, a key enzyme in hepatic gluconeogenesis, and of mitochondrial SOD2. Polyacetylenes (falcarinol, falcarindiol), bioactive compounds shared with carrots and celery, have demonstrated selective cytotoxic activity against colon cancer cells in the work of Christensen and Brandt (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2006). Inulin, a fructan present in notable quantities, is a powerful prebiotic that selectively feeds Bifidobacteria.

Parsnip juice is a major nutritional rediscovery. Rich in potassium, prebiotics and protective bioactive compounds, it’s the forgotten root vegetable that naturopathy is restoring to its rightful place. Its sweet taste and creamy texture make it a particularly comforting autumn-winter juice.

Table of key micronutrients

Micronutrient	Main role
Potassium	Blood pressure regulation (375 mg/100 g)
Folates (B9)	DNA synthesis, cell division
Inulin (prebiotic)	Food for Bifidobacteria
Manganese	SOD2 cofactor, gluconeogenesis
Polyacetylenes (falcarinol)	Selective cytotoxic, colon protection
Vitamin C	Immunity, antioxidant (17 mg/100 g)

Preparation with a cold press juicer

Ingredients:

• 3 organic apples
• 1 branch of fresh rosemary
• 1 peeled lemon
• 1 piece of ginger (2 cm)

Choose firm parsnips with no blemishes, medium-sized. Peel them like carrots and cut them into sticks. Parsnip juice is quite thick: you can dilute it with an apple or two carrots if you find it too concentrated.

What I personally think

Parsnip is the forgotten vegetable par excellence. When you run it through a cold press juicer, you get a juice with a very surprising creamy texture and a resinous flavor, almost woody, that’s like nothing else. It’s a juice that surprises every time. My patients who discover it in consultation can’t believe it: they had never imagined that parsnip could produce something so good.

My recommended juicer

For this recipe, I use the Hurom H330P. Cold pressing preserves all the enzymes, vitamins and phytonutrients that the heat from a centrifugal juicer would destroy.

Promo code: francoisbenavente20 for -20% off everything on Hurom.

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