Top five SUPER ROOTS KUMARA

A diet rich in super roots can help protect you from heart disease, stroke, dementia, cancer and arthritis, and even slow down your body’s ageing process.

Generally, strongly coloured vegetables and fruit have higher levels of antioxidants, and have been shown to have anti-coagulant and anti-cancer properties. This applies to kumara which also has a low glycemic index, are nearly fat-free and are a good source of dietary fibre and vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C as well as potassium, manganese, copper, pantothenic acid and niacin.

Kumara needs warm conditions to thrive. Buy runners from garden centres in October or start your own by sprouting a kumara in a pot of moist sand. When the shoots are about 15cm high with leaves and roots, remove them for transplanting. Push the plantlets into the ground gently at a depth of around 50mm in the shape of a "j" lying down, with the long edge running parallel with the top of the ground. Lift the runners regularly to discourage formation of surface roots.