Radish
Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps
Radishes are mostly water and crunch, but that spicy bite is doing real work in your body.
Stage by stage
- Chew & release (Mouth): Chewing crushes radish cells and triggers an enzyme reaction that produces its sharp, peppery-tasting sulfur compounds.
- Stomach digestion (Stomach): In the stomach, radish's high water content and modest fiber (about 1.6 g per 100 g) slow digestion and add bulk without much energy — around 16 kcal per 100 g.
- Nutrient absorption (Small intestine): The small intestine absorbs radish's vitamin C (about 15 mg per 100 g, roughly 16-17% DV), some potassium, and a small amount of folate.
- Systemic use (Bloodstream/tissues): Absorbed vitamin C supports immune function and collagen formation, while sulfur compounds from radish may briefly activate the body's own antioxidant defenses, based on lab and animal studies.
Timing
Radishes can be eaten any time — raw as a snack or in salads, or cooked into dishes — with no meaningful difference in nutrient absorption tied to meal timing.
Time to effect
- Days: Radishes contribute fiber, water, and vitamin C with each meal; any effect on fullness or digestion is immediate, while broader dietary-pattern benefits from regular vegetable intake accrue over days to weeks.
Allergens
None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.
Eating patterns
Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Keto, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free.
In season
April to September in the northern hemisphere, October to March in the southern.
Satiety
The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 15 kcal per 100 g that is 1.6 kg of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.
Environmental footprint
0.4 kg CO2e and 28 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Root vegetables" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.
Cost band
Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.
Key nutrients
Nutrition per 100g
- Calories: 14.8
- Protein: 0.8g
- Carbohydrate: 1.9g
- of which sugars: 1.9g
- Fat: 0.2g
- of which saturated: 0g
- Fibre: 1.1g
- Sodium: 20mg
Food vs. supplement
Radishes are a low-calorie source of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and glucosinolate-derived isothiocyanates in one food; no supplement replicates that whole-food combination, and no standardized radish supplement with established human dosing exists.
Kitchen tip
Slice radishes just before serving and eat them raw or lightly cooked — cutting triggers the enzyme reaction behind their peppery flavor, and heavy cooking mutes both the bite and some of the associated compounds.
Common myth
"Radishes detoxify your liver and cleanse your blood." In reality: No controlled human studies show radishes enhance liver detoxification beyond the organ's normal function; the "detox" claim is a folk belief, not an evidence-based effect, though radishes do provide genuine vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and glucosinolate-derived isothiocyanates.
Recipes that use it
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In the glossary
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