Beat it with Beets!

Beat it with Beets!

Did you know that Beet is one of the most nutritious vegetables with a plethora of health benefits? Beets not only give a nice color to your dishes but also bring in a lot of essential vitamins and minerals important for your body functioning. Beets are our hearts best friend by keeping our blood vessels flexible and open for smooth blood flow.

Here are some of the health benefits of beets:

Lower Blood Pressure – Eating beets on a regular basis can help reduce your blood pressure. Beets are rich in nitrates, which are converted into nitric oxide in your body. Nitric oxide is a vasodilator that keeps our blood vessels wide open and relaxed, which in turn lowers our blood pressure.

Detoxify – Beets are known to purify your blood and liver. Beets contain betaine and polyphenol that increase livers ability to produce glutathione, which makes the toxins in our body water soluble so it can be easily excreted out of our system.

Improve stamina and athletic performance – Dietary nitrate, which is abundant in beet, have shown to reduce oxygen cost during physical exercise, leading to improved stamina and enhanced performance. Nitrates improve the efficiency of mitochondria, which are the powerhouse of our cells. Drink a glass of beet juice before the exercise to maximize your performance.

Reduce Inflammation – Beets are considered one of the best anti-inflammatory foods that help reduce pain in the body because of inflammation. Phytonutrients from beetroot, betanin and vulgaxanthin, have been shown to reduce inflammation in our bodies.

Fight Cancer – The powerful phytonutrients that give beets their red color also provide anti-cancer properties. Studies have shown that antioxidant from beets killed the leukemia cell and prevent lung and skin cancers.

It is so easy to incorporate beet in your diet.  Here are some of the ways I try to consume more beets on a daily basis.

• Smoothies – Add beets to your morning Smoothie. Stay tuned, if you are looking for a simple and easy smoothie recipe. I will be posting a recipe very soon.
• Salad – A simple beet salad can be made by adding beets, pears and a handful of walnuts. It tastes so good with beet and pear’s natural sweetness and crunchiness of walnuts.
• Curries and Dishes – One to two tablespoon of grated beets can be added to any vegetable or curry without altering the original taste. My mom makes this delicious side dish with grated beets and coconut powder. It tastes heavenly. Yum!
• Baking – Mashed beets can be substituted for oil in any baking to give a nice color and health benefits of beets. You might need to experiment with the sugar a bit as beets are naturally high in sugar.
• Juice – Juice them with apple, carrots and oranges for a yummy drink.

Let me know how you like your beets!!

Please be aware that most of the beets sold in grocery store are genetically modified. Make sure you buy the organic and non-GMO variety only to experience all these health benefits.