Most parents have experienced the frustration of kids refusing to eat anything other than pasta and Cheerios. While it’s common for kids to dislike many vegetables, with time and persistence they can develop a taste for a variety of healthy, nutritious food.
This article explores a range of healthy foods that begin with the letter "D," from fruits and vegetables to savory dishes and sweet treats. It aims to expand your culinary horizons and introduce you to some nutritious and delicious options.
Fruits Starting with "D"
- Dates: Dates are the main food of the middle east countries since ancient times. Dates have been used for wine from traditional times. Dates are very nourishment fruit. Dates are a naturally sweet fruit that is often used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, dates are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They are delicious on their own or can be used to sweeten dishes like tagines or couscous. It contains a lot of antioxidants, fiber, and iron, which is very necessary for the body. Dates have natural sweeteners that can act as sweeteners in various foods. Dates can eat direct from trees or dried, use to make syrup.
- Dragon Fruit: Dragon fruit aka Pitaya. It is a species of cactus and most prominent in Honolulu. With its bright pink exterior and juicy white flesh dotted with black seeds, this fruit is as beautiful as it is tasty. Dragon fruit is often used for flavoring and decoration in juices and liquors, including “Dragon’s Blood Punch” and “Dragotini”This bright pink color attracts more than that. Dragon fruit comes in three types- Pink skin with white pulp, red skin with red pulp, and yellow skin with white pulp both have a green spike. Dragon fruit’s flower use as tea.
- Dewberry: Dewberry is a fruit name begins with D. These are edible and sweet in taste. It mostly sees in Northern Hemisphere. They exactly look like blackberry and Belong to the Rubus family. Dewberry’s flowers use as herbal tea. Dewberry has some names such as as- blue bramble, European dewberry, and youngberry. It is a healthy food starting with D and has a lot of health benefits like- can prevent cancer, contains zinc thus can increase immunity Also Good for healthy skin.
- Damson: Damson is a fruit that belongs to the European Plum family mainly use for jams, jellies, and drinks. Purplish black color and small in size. There are also white and yellow colors.
- Dangleberry: Dangleberry (scientific name Gaylussacia frondosa), also known blue huckleberry, is a small shrub that grows in eastern USA.
- Date Plum: The fruit is called date plum as apparently the taste of this fruit is rather like a mix of dates and plums!
- Darwin’s Barberry: Darwin’s Barberry is a flowering evergreen thorny shrub that is native to South American countries Chile and Argentina. The prehistoric native people of Patagonia consumed the Darwin’s Barberries over a millenia ago.
- Davidson’s Plums: If you have watched Masterchef Australia, (or are from Oz!) you would be familiar with this fruit. Davidson’s plums look quite similar to the European plums but unlike them do not have a stone inside.
- Decaisnea: Not a very appealing name now, is it? Also known as blue bean plant and blue sausagefruit, the Decaisnea is native to Asian countries such as China, Nepal and Myanmar.
- Dekopans: These fruits are very popular in their country of origin, Japan, as well as in Brazil, South Korea and Azerbaijan. Dekopans are small fruits that are quite acidic in nature.
- Desert Fig: The Desert Fig (scientific name Ficus carica) is a type of fig found predominantly in the Pacific Northwest.
- Desert Lime: Desert Lime (or citrus glauca) is, as name suggests, a citrus fruit native to Australia, especially South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. It is a hardy plant that is heat, cold, drought and salinity resistant.
- Desert Quandong: Santalum acuminatum, the desert quandong, is a plant that is native to Australia. They grow extensively in the arid regions of the central desert and the southern parts of the country. The quandong fruit is used in pies and in fruit juices.
- Dino Eggs (Pluots): Have you heard of pluots? Pluots or dinosaur eggs are a hybrid of plums and apricots. Why are pluots called Dinosaur eggs though? Funnily enough, the skin of the fruit is colourful and spotted, which apparently brings to mind dinosaur eggs! Dino eggs are used in various dessert preparations such as pies, tarts and crumbles.
- Dinosaur Melon: Originally developedi in Japan, it is now found in other parts of the world such as China, southern California, Mexico and South America. Dinosaur melon, also known as dino egg melon or gaya melon is a small variety of honeydew melon.
- Discovery Apple: The Discovery apple is a small to medium fruit, with a sweet, lightly acidic flavor, kind of like a strawberry. Originally cultivated by British farmer George Dummer in in 1949, the Discovery Apple was first introduced to the market in 1962, by a Sussex nurseryman called Jack Matthews.
- Double Coconut: Double coconut, sea coconut or coco de mer (scientific name Lodoicea) belongs to the palm family. The Double coconut palm trees are used as ornamental trees and its fruit is not consumable in the traditional sense.
- Dracontonmelon: Dracontonmelon (scientific name Dracontonmelon duperreanum), refers to a family of flowering plants, found in South East Asia.
- Duku: Duku (scientific name Lansium parasiticum) is also known as langsat and lanzones, is the fruit of a tree from the mahogany family. The fruit has a texture akin to grapes when eaten raw and is also used to make fruit syrup.
- Dusky Pear: Dusky pear is native to China and the fruit trees are covered in beautiful flowers.
Vegetables Starting with "D"
- Daikon Radish: DaikonJapanese radish. This means it is a vegetable with a large white juicy root. Daikon comes in black and yellow color as well. In the Japanese language Daikon means large root. There are just 18 calories in 100 g daikon. Daikon grows under cold air temperatures. The root has a mildly acidic, and tangy flavor with a crispy feel. Daikon tea is commonly used to help with digestion after a meal. You can eat daikon as raw or cooked or make it into a pickle. It contains a high amount of phosphorus and potassium, with vitamin C, E, A.
- Dandelion Greens: Dandelion green-This is a delicious wild green leaf. It has several health benefits. Dandelion has numerous health benefits and eats raw and salad.
- Daylily: Edible flower sees in China. China cultivates daylily as crops.
- Dolichos Beans: Sliced and cooked in a pan, these dolichos beans are a popular ingredient across the tropical areas of the world - India, as well as East and SouthEast Asia, and East Africa.
- Dinosaur Kale: The bumpy leaves of this kale variety are supposed to resemble dinosaur skin, hence the name. Boring adults might know this type of kale better as cavalo nero (scientific name: Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia), but “dinosaur kale” sounds way more fun, right?
- Diamond Bell Pepper: An unusual variety of bell pepper, the diamond bell pepper (scientific name: Capsicum annuum) is a translucent variety of pepper, with a sweet flavor. These are quite rare and are grown mainly in America.
- Dill: Herb, curry ingredient, pickle - you name it, dill has a starring role in each. A type of herb related to the celery plant, dill leaves, and seeds are used to garnish soups and salads. Did you know though, that dill is also rich in antioxidants and minerals, and is also used to treat digestive ailments?
- Dubna Garlic: A variety of heirloom garlic, the Dubna Garlic (Allium sativum) is a gorgeous looking bit of veg.
- Drumstick: Drumstick is rare plant species mainly found in Asian countries like India. Typically, it is prepared and eaten. It looks like a long stick playing drums, hence this name comes from. It has a green fiber-like shell on the outside and a white flesh-like part on the inside that’s edible. It’s got edible seeds. It is very tasty to eat and not only its fruit so, flowers, but leaves are also edible and beneficial. Drumstick can eat in different ways like - fried, curry, soup. Drumstick also knows as Moringa which is great for malnutrition and iron deficiency.
- Dwarf Blue Curled Scotch Kale: A variety of kale, the dwarf blue curled scotch kale (scientific name: Brassica oleracea var sabellica) grows in pretty blue-green leaves.
- Dwarf Yellow Turnips: Grown in California, the dwarf yellow turnips (scientific name: Brassica napus var. napobrassica) are root vegetables that taste best when eaten tender.
- Delicata Squash: A versatile that can be baked, stuffed, steamed, oven-roasted, or sauteed in a pan, the delicata squash is just what you need in a veg!
- De Nantes Carrots: The taste profile of these carrots is quite different to the sweetness of the orange carrots too. They taste delicious eaten fresh, with their tender outer layer or as dried beans. This type of bean is tasty eaten both raw and cooked.
- Dolma: Cooking foods inside a leaf or vegetable is common in many culinary cultures. Dolmas are made with grape leaves (or cabbage) stuffed with a mix of rice, meat, or vegetables, then boiled or baked.
- Dongchimi: This is Korean white radish. Dongchimi is a vegetable that starts with D and uses for summer kimchi.
Dishes Starting with "D"
- Dal: Dahl is a staple food in India. Dahl has alternative names like- Dal, Daal, Dhal. Dahl makes with Beans, peas, chopped carrots, and lentils include spices. It is healthy food starting with D. Dal mainly takes with roti, naan, rice, and chapati.
- Dahi Vada: Dahi Vada is Indian food (snack). Dahi means a card, and vada is deep-fried lentil dough. The deep-fried lentil dough and soaked into the card. The taste of Dahi vada is sweet and tangy.
- Dim Sum: It is a traditional Chinese dish that starts with D. Dim Sum indicates the point of the heart. It is native to Canton, China. Dim Sums fills with vegetables, meats, prawns. You can say it snacks take with tea in the morning and evening. The Dim Sum also means spending time with friends and making relationships stronger.
- Dumplings: Dumplings are originated in China. Then famous throughout the world in several names.like- Mandu in Korea, Momo in India, Nikuman in Japanese.You can say Chinese food that starts with D. It is made like a small loaf of bread and filled with numerous materials and means. It can be eaten in different ways like- fried, steamed, boiled.
- Dragon Noodles: Dragon noodles originate from China. They give this name from its long appearance. Dragon noodles especially eat every year at their Longtaitou festival.
- Dosa: Dosa is South Indian authentic breakfast starting D. It is a thin type of pancake whose main ingredients are rice and black grams. Though Dosa contains a high amount of carbohydrates but has no extra trans fat and a great source of protein. It serves with coconut chatni and vegetable curry which is called Sambar.
- Doner Kebab: Doner kebab is a kind of kebab in which meat is tacked onto a vertical rotisserie and cooked slowly all day. Bursa, in Turkey is considered the birthplace of the doner kebab.
- Drob: If you’re in Romania over Easter, you’re having drob. It’s almost mandatory.
- Dhokla: From American breakfasts, all the way across the world to India, dhoklas are steamed besan (gram flour) cakes that are traditionally eaten for breakfast.
- Daube: From the Provençal cookbook, daube is meaty stew that is left to simmer for hours in a sauce made with red wine, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs.
- Dandan Noodles: Chinese foods begging with D. Dandan noodles with spicy sauce originated from Sichuan. Also known as dandamian.
- Doenjang Jjigae: Famous Korean bean soup. It tastes like miso and makes from fermented soybeans. Miso checks our M food list.
Other Healthy Foods Starting with "D"
- Dogfish: There are so many dogfish species present in the world. Only two of them are edible. One is smooth dogfish and another one is spiny dogfish. They are popular because they have no bones only soft flesh and their juicy taste. A bulk portion of dogfish use in Europe to prepare fish dishes and chips. Dogfish contains a high level of selenium and vitamin B6 & B12.
- Deer Meat: Deer meat, or venison, is an excellent and nutritious beef substitute. It can prepare in several ways, ideally low in fat. Most popular in the United States.
- Duck: Do you know China is the largest duck meat eater? Duck meat or duckling meat both are the same species. It is rich in iron and high in fat, contains high protein. Duck meat can eat so many countries in the world, in a variety of ways.
- Dark Chocolate: We all know dark chocolate. right! But do you know dark chocolate has so many unknown facts like-Belgium is the best chocolate maker in the world. Dark chocolate can boost brain function and help to healthy vision. It has the potency for increased HDL means good cholesterol, thus regulate a healthy heart. Dark chocolate can take away your anger and frustration in an instant because it releases dopamine into the brain. Dopamine is the happy hormone. About 50% and 55+ age of men and women highly prefer dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is as much a sweetener as it is healthy food to beginning with the letter D.
- Dulse: A popular snack, Dulse is an important dietary fiber of Icelandic cuisine. It possesses a mildly spicy and salty flavor.
- Durum Wheat: Durum wheat is a variety of wheat that has higher amounts of gluten and protein, when compared to regular wheat.
- Dijon Mustard: Named after the town of Dijon in the Burgundy region in France, Dijon mustard is the most famous condiment of France. In its original format, Dijon mustard was first served to the monarch, King Philip VI in 1336.
- Droewors: Typical African meal that begins with D, which includes beef sausage.
- Dabberlocks: Also known as bladderlocks and wing kelp, dabberlocks are common algae found in the northern hemisphere, especially around the British Isles.
- Dotorimuk: Famous Korean side dish Dotorimuk. It is nutritious makes from acorn starch.
- Decaf: 1st decaf coffee came from German. Decaf coffee is much like standard coffee, with the exception of the removal of caffeine. In fact, in the Western diet, it is the only largest element of antioxidants. Decaf coffee will protect against mental deterioration due to age. Can decrease heartburn.
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