For some, beets are good for two things: pickling, and borscht, the tart Ukrainian soup that turns your stool a startling red. However, there are plenty of other uses for beets, many of which have to do with your overall health and wellness.
In today’s post, the Healthy Hub team shares 8 reasons to eat beets more often:
- Beat cancer with beets: Studies have shown that beet juice can prevent the formation of cancerous compounds. Beets are particularly effective fighters of colon and stomach cancer. Beets are also full of antioxidants, which help fight off cancer-causing free radicals.
- Lower your risk of heart and vascular disease: Though beet greens often end up in the compost, these valuable “scraps” are chalk full of the phytochemical betacyanin, which has been shown to reduce levels of homocysteine, an amino acid whose presence is associated with higher levels of heart and vascular diseases. Some compounds in beets also help the body dissolve inorganic calcium deposits that are known to increase arterial hardening.
- Beets improve mental health: Nitrates in beets have been shown to open up the blood vessels, thereby increasing blood flow to the brain. This increased blood flow can help prevent cognitive disorders for seniors.
- Beets keep your regular: Beets are packed with fiber to help keep you regular. Just remember that you ate beets lest the sight of your stool send you running to the ER.
Improve your vision and support eye health: Beets contain lutein and zeaxanthin, both of which have been shown to support macular and retinal health.
Beets are an unsung “pre-workout” food: Beets are a perfect pre-workout food, with studies by the Journal of Applied Physiology reporting that their nitrate content can increase stamina, allowing study subjects to exercise up to 16% longer.
Beets improve your skin health: Beets are packed with vitamin A, which is a great supplement for healthy skin and protection against lung and mouth cancers.
Detoxify the liver, gallbladder, and kidneys: Beet juice contains choline, which is an excellent organ-cleaner. The choline in beets can alleviate jaundice, food poisoning, hepatitis, and clean out both your gallbladder and kidneys.
What’s the best way to eat beets?
Beets are a very dense root vegetable. Like other root vegetables, more beet preparations call for a significant amount of cooking, which can destroy some of their vital nutrients. While boiling, steaming, baking, or sauteeing beets are all effective, juicing is ideal because it preserves the phytonutrients and antioxidants in their raw, bio-available form. If you can’t afford a juicer or high-powered blender, juice bars are an option, though the cost of daily juice bar patronage can quickly get prohibitive!
Check back regularly with the Healthy Hub team for new beet recipes and preparations!