Beets are massively high in various detrimental minerals, vitamins and subsequent antioxidants. They are good boiled, baked and raw. They are also famous as pickles and in the Russian soup called Borscht.
Vitamins & Minerals
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) – Repairs and protects tissue. May also help combat cancer.
- Manganese – Naturally occurring on our bodies. Assists in brain and nervous system functioning.
- Betalain –
- Folate (B9 Vitamin) – healthy cell growth and formation of red blood cells. Important in early pregnancy.
- Calcium – Most abundant in out bodies. Needed for muscle function and nerve transmission.
- Iron – Helps our muscles use and store up oxygen, although too much iron is damaging.
- Phosphorous – Second most abundant. Waste filtering and tissue repairs.
- Zinc – Hormone production. Some claims as to it being a natural cold remedy.
- Copper – Assists in the absorption of iron. Helps form new collagen.
- Selenium – Thyroid health, reduces inflammation. Toxic in large quantities.
- Fiber – Gastrointestinal health. Protects against heart disease. Body weight control.
Not too shabby, eh? Beets are something you might seriously consider adding to your own dietary intake. They have much to offer by way of antioxidants – Beetroot contains betalains. The betalain betacyanin, which lends the beet it’s red color, and betaxanthin, which colors the beet yellow, are both two nutrients that provide antioxidant properties.
Additionally, beetroot has anticancer properties as well. We’ll discuss this in detail in another article, however a quick bit of information regarding this – the same phytonutrients that give beets their color, have been shown to reduce and slow down the amount of multi-organ tumors in animals. Indeed, beetroot contains the phytonutrient, glycine betaine, which has been shown to lower levels of homocysteine. Homocysteine, in high levels, is responsible for blood clots and coronary heart disease.
The Journal of Nutrition in 2013, after conducting a double blind study involving 64 participants, Dr. Shannon Amoils, (British Heart Foundation), concluded that “This interesting study builds on previous research by this team and finds that a daily glass of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure in people with hypertension – even those whose high blood pressure was not controlled by drug treatment.”
The likelihood of reducing your risk of heart disease from drinking beet juice is fairly high.
Keep reading and perusing the site for more amazing beetroot facts and information.
Further Reading