Mashed Parsnips & Carrots
Early on in my gastritis flare, I tried to eat mashed potatoes and they did NOT agree with me.
White potatoes are actually a nightshade and can be very triggering to reflux symptoms.
Additionally, if you’re also dealing with IBS/SIBO type symptoms… potatoes might be way too starchy for you at the moment and trigger a lot of bloating. Instead, I’ve found that parsnips are a really great substitute to mitigate uncomfortable digestive symptoms. They’re filling, but not too starchy – or you can also do mashed carrots as well (if you are having trouble finding parsnips in your area).
Ingredients
Parsnips
If you haven’t grown up eating parsnips, they’re in the carrot family. They have a sweet, nutty flavor and they’re incredibly nutritious. (They’re a great source of Vitamin C if you’re having a hard time with anything citrusy right now.)
Parsnips are my favorite mashed potato substitute because, let’s be honest, cauliflower does NOT cut it… and it causes it’s own problems with bloating if you have IBS/SIBO.
Carrots
Carrots are generally a safe staple in every diet. They’re rich in beta carotene and also loaded with lots of different nutrients.
With both carrots and parsnips, I like to make them even easier to digest by washing with clean, filtered water and peeling the skin off of them. If you have absolutely ZERO energy, you can also grab some organic baby carrots! But whenever you can, try to wash, peel, and cut them yourself.
Ghee or Coconut Oil
Ghee is basically just clarified butter.
It acts differently than regular butter by improving the absorption ability of the small intestines and decreasing the acidic pH of our gastrointestinal tract.
It also makes your mashed parsnips taste that much more like mashed potatoes! I can’t tolerate large amounts of ghee, but I will add a tiny bit in to this for cooking. And my favorite brand of ghee is 4th & Heart Grass Fed Ghee. If you find that you don’t tolerate ghee very well, you can also use coconut oil as a substitute!
Helpful Tools
Here are some tools that might make your life easier when making this recipe:
A potato masher (this will save you SO much time)
An immersion blender (if not using a masher)
A peeler
What You’ll Need
5-10 Parsnips or Carrots
1 Tbsp Ghee (I use 4th & Heart Grass Fed )
3 Tbsp Almond Milk (can sub for another milk)
Sea Salt
Optional: Parsley
How to Make It
Heat up a medium sauce pan with water on the stove.
Wash and peel parsnips (or carrots). Make sure to use clean, filtered water if gastritis is severe like from a Berkey water filter.
Once the water on the stove is boiling, add in the parsnips. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes or until you can easily pierce the parsnips with a fork. (Carrots take longer to cook than the parsnips do so try 20 - 25 minutes!)
Remove parsnips from the stove and strain.
In a separate pot, add the ghee and turn on low heat. Once the ghee melts, add in the cooked parsnips. Add in salt, parsley, milk and mash with a potato masher or immersion blender. Add in more milk as needed if it's not mashing well.
Once mashed, remove from heat and add to bowl. Enjoy!
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