benefits of beetroot

Good quality, fresh beetroots should have their greens intact. The greens should be fresh looking with no signs of spoilage. The beetroot should be firm, smooth, and a vibrant red purple, not soft, wrinkled or dull in colour. Fresh beets with the greens attached can be stored for three to four days in the fridge, but beets with the greens removed can be stored in the fridge for two to four weeks. Raw beets do not freeze well since they tend to become soft on thawing. Freezing cooked beetroot is fine as it retains its flavour and texture.

Slightly limp greens can be restored to freshness if stored in the refrigerator in water. However, if its too late, you can simply cut them off.Wash beets gently under cool running water, taking care not to tear the skin. It is this tough outer layer that helps keep most of the beetroots pigments inside the vegetable. The leaves can be steamed lightly to retain their nutritional quality. When boiling beetroot, leave the beets with their root ends and one inch of stem attached and dont peel them until after cooking since beet juice can stain your skin.

For some people, eating beetroot may induce beeturia; a red or pink colour in the urine or stool. It is totally harmless! Beet greens and, to a lesser extent, the roots contain high levels ofoxolate. Individuals with a history of oxalate containing kidney stones should avoid over consuming beetroot.

Beetroot is known to contain large amounts of soluble fibres, flavanoids and betacyanin. Betacyanin is the compound that gives beetroot its purplish red colour and is also a powerful antioxidant. It helps reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and does not allow it to deposit on the walls of the artery. This protects the heart from potential heart attacks and strokereducing the need for medication.

Another amazing quality of the root is that it has an abundant supply of folic acid. Folic acid is important for pregnant mums and unborn babies because it is an essential component for the proper formation of the unborn childs spinal cord, and can protect the child from conditions such as spina bifida (is a congenital disorder where the childs spinal cord does not form completely and in most cases looks like it has been divided into two at the base). Beetroot also gives mums to be that extra energy boost required during pregnancy. Read more about why women need folic acid during pregnancy.

Beetroot is packed with mineral silica, an important component for the body to use calcium efficiently. Since calcium makes up our bones and teeth, having a glass of beetroot juice a day could help keep conditions such as osteoporosis and brittle bone disease at bay. Heres some information on how you can prevent osteoporosis.

For all you diabetics out there, fulfil your sweet craving with a little beetroot. Since it contains sugars, is fat free, low in calories and has a medium glycaemic index it is just what the doctor ordered. A medium glycaemic index means that it releases sugars very slowly into the blood. This property helps keep a persons blood sugar levels low while satiating that sugar craving.

It is a common myth that because beetroot is reddish in colour, it replaces lost blood and is therefore good to treat anaemia. While this may sound a bit outrageous to many, there is a partial truth hidden in the myth. Beetroot contains a lot of iron. Iron helps in the formation of haemagglutinin, which is a part of the blood that helps transport oxygen and nutrients to various parts of the body. It is the iron content and not the colour that helps treat anaemia. Read more about the causes of anaemia.

A study presented at the American Diabetics associations conference stated that beetroot helps boost a persons energy. They said that due to its nitrate content it helped dilate the arteries thereby helping in the proper transportation of oxygen to various parts of the body, increasing a persons energy. Another theory was that because the root is a rich source of iron, it helps in improving a persons stamina. Whatever the source, a pick me up at the end of a tiring day can be just what one needs.

Also known as