Beets are a food that you need to introduce into your diet. They help your heart and cardiovascular system, are said to have anti-aging effects, and are known to have anti-inflammatory and detoxifying effects due to the Betalin pigments that make the beets so red. Some studies show they may prove to fight cancer.
Beet benefits:
- heart and cardiovascular disease
- anti-aging
- anti-inflammatory
- detoxifying
- anti-cancer properties-colon, stomach, nerve, lung, breast, prostate and testicular tissue
Beets are a rich source of niacin (vit.B-3), pantothenic acid (vit.B-5), pyridoxine (vit.B-6) and carotenoids, and minerals such as iron, manganese, and magnesium. Nutition-and-you states the beet greens are an “excellent source of carotenoids, flavonoid anti-oxidants, and vitamin A; contain these compounds several times more than that of in the roots.Vitamin A is required maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. Consumption of natural vegetables rich in flavonoids helps to protect from lung and oral cavity cancers.”
Beets are rich in the following vitamins and minerals:
- Vitamin A
- Niacin B-3
- Pantothenic Acid B-5
- Pyridoxine B-6
- Folic Acid
- Fiber
- Iron
- Mananese
- Magnesium
- Carotenoids
- phytochemical Glycine betaine
- folates
- Potassium
WHfoods states “The difference between 15 minutes of steaming versus 25 minutes of steaming, or 60 minutes of roasting versus 90 minutes of roasting can be significant in terms of betalain damage.” Betalain helps your heart and inflammation as well as much more. Therefore, you should eat them raw or lightly steam or roast. If you boil them, keep the water since many of the nutrients have leached into the water. Your water will be bright red!
I have included some smoothie and baked good recipes so you can enjoy your beets. The UnBEETable Chocolate Cupcakes are amazing. And they are eggless. The Smoothie is tasty; add more honey if you do not like a beet aftertaste.
Enjoy!
References:
https://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49
https://www.nutrition-and-you.com/beets.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/408084-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-beet-root/
