Health Tip # 20 – Benefits of  Beets.

All Mighty Allah has blessed us with so many items to maintain   our good health. Beets are one of them. Beets give a pleasing violet colour to our foods. The fresh Beets with their leaves are  delicious  and  health beneficial diet. In today’s topic ” Health Tip # 20-  Benefits of Beets” , we will explain the health benefits of Beets . Health Tip is our  regular topic , where we explain the new research about our daily   diet. In our previous article  ” Health Tip # 19-Keep walking, stay healthy” is a piece to read.

Contents:

• What are Beets?
• Nutrients in  Beets.
• Health benefits of  Beets.
• The last word.

What are beets ?

Beetroots commonly known as Beets . Beets are full of energy and resourceful type of vegetable. Beets are famous for their colour and fragrance. Beets make our diet more colourful and full of nutrients. It is better to eat raw Beets or drink their juice. Roasting is another method to eat Beets . Roasting is better than boiling . Fried Beets are more delicious. Raw Beets can be eaten as salad.

Nutrients in Beets:

Folate rich vegetable Beets have many health benefits . The benefits are:

Vitamins & minerals in Beets:

Beets are low in calories with high in valuable minerals and vitamins. In fact Beets contain almost all vitamins and minerals , human body needs. A 100 gram ( 3.5 ounce )  serving of boiled Beets have:

• Calories  :    44
• Fat :                  0.2 grams
• Protein:             1.7 grams
• Fiber :                2  grams
• Carbs :             10 grams.
• Copper :            8 % of daily value.
• Folate:              20 % of daily value.
• Potassium:         7 % of daily value.
• Manganese:      14 % of daily value.
• Magnesium:        6 % of daily value.
• Iron  :                     4 % of daily value.
• Vitamin B6:         4 % of daily value.
• Vitamin C :           4 % of daily value.

Health benefits of Beets:

# 1 —- Rich source of minerals: 

Folate found in Beets play an important role in growth development and heart health. Beets are rich source of Folate. Other minerals found in Beets like manganese has an important role in bone  formation. , nutrient metabolism , brain function and many more. Copper found in Beets is required for energy production. All above minerals are found in Beets.

#2 :— Beets lowers the blood pressure.

Studied  show that Beets specially Beet’s  juice,  have ability to lower  both systolic and diastolic  blood pressure levels . Great effect  appears for systolic  blood pressure. Raw Beets have more effects than cooked one. Since the Beets have high level of nitrates, when eaten, dietary nitrates are converted into nitric oxide, a molecule that  make the blood vessels wider, causing blood pressure to drop. The presence of folate in Beets, could significantly lower blood pressure levels.

Bear in mind that blood pressure lowering effects of Beets  are temporary.

# 3 — Improvement in athletic performance.

The researchers found in several studies that dietary nitrates found in Beets can increase athletic performance. It is believed that nitrates improve the efficiency of mitochondria (Mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles (mitochondrion, singular) that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions. Chemical energy produced by the mitochondria is stored in a small molecule called adenosine triphosphate ) which produce energy in our cells. Beets juice improve cycling performance .It increase oxygen use up to 20 %. Athletes should bear in their mind that blood nitrates reach to their highest level with in 2 – 3 hours of consuming Beets or their juice. So it is advised to consume Beets or their juice 2 – 3 hour before training or competition.

# 4 —- Beets may reduce inflammation.

Betalains pigments ( Betalains are a family of natural pigments present in most plants of the order Caryophyllales. They provide colors ranging from yellow to violet to structures that in other plants are colored by anthocyanins. These include not only edible fruits and roots but also flowers, stems, and bracts ). are found  naturally in Beets which possess a number of anti-inflammatory properties. This may help in healing chronic inflammatory associated with obesity , liver disease, heart disease and cancer.

In a study ,  24 people with high blood pressure ,  consumed 250 ml ( 8.5 ounce)  of Beets juice for 2 weeks. The result was significantly reduction several markers of inflammation, including C-reactive protein  (   CRP is a protein that our liver makes ). and tumor necrosis factor – Alpha.     (TNF alpha), is an inflammatory cytokine produced by macrophages/monocytes during acute inflammation and is responsible for a diverse range of signaling events within cells, leading to necrosis or apoptosis. The protein is also important for resistance to infection and cancers).

# 5 —- Beets support brain health.

As we grow older, mental and cognitive functions decrees naturally with age. This situation increase the risk of Dementia. (  Dementia is not a specific disease but is rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Though dementia mostly affects older adults, it is not a part of normal aging.).

Beets contain a large number of nitrates. Nitrates are involve to improve  brain function. The nitrates make the blood vessels wider. In the result blood flow to the brain is increased , particularly to the frontal lobe of the brain. This area is linked with higher level of thinking like decision making and working memory.

# 6 —- Beets  could improve digestive health.

A cup of Beets have 3.4 grams of fiber. making the Beets a good source of fiber. This  fiber go through digestion process and reach colon, and feed there  friendly gut bacteria. Here it add bulk to stool. This all process promote digestive health and keep you regular. This also prevent digestive conditions like constipation, inflammatory bowel disease and diverticulitis ( Diverticular disease and diverticulitis are related digestive conditions that affect the large intestine (colon). In diverticular disease, small bulges or pockets (diverticula) develop in the lining of the intestine. Diverticulitis is when these pockets become inflamed or infected ) . 

# 7 —— Beetroots have some anti-cancer fighting  compounds.

Beets  contain several anti-cancer compound like  betaine, ferulic acid, rutin , kaempferol and caffeic acid. Test tube studies have shown that Beets extract can slow down the growth and division of cancer cells. Some other studies have found that having higher blood level of betaine may be linked with a lower risk of developing cancer. An important thing to bear in mind  is that most studies have used isolated compounds and not the Beetroot. Still more researches  are needed to better understand the Beetroot health benefits.

The last words.

Beside containing lots of nutrition’s health benefits, Beets are incredibly delicious . You can easily include Beets in your diet like:

• Salad   —- Beets make a flavorful and colourful addition to your salad.
• Juice: —-Fresh Beets are better than stored ones.
• Roasted — Mix Beets , olive oil, salt, pepper and spices of your own choice, roast them at 200  Centigrade temperature for 15 minutes. This is a delicious and  colourful diet..
• Leaves — It is easy to cook Beets leave. Just cook them as you cook spinach.

source: healthline.com

Choose beetroots that feel heavy and big in size with green tops still attached.