Beetroot

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Beets (Beta vulgaris ssp. Vulgaris var. Vulgaris) is a type of root vegetable. One of its varieties is red beet, which is recognizable by its dark red roots, which get quite dirty when cut. The taste of red beets is specific, earthy, refreshing.

Red beets are eaten or boiled, roasted beets are very tasty and raw. Virtually all parts of it are edible, and red beet leaves can be eaten on a salad. Their taste resembles that of spinach. Beetroot can be used to extract paint. From time immemorial it has been used in folk medicine as an herb for the treatment of various diseases.

Even the ancient Greeks and Romans used beets to reduce fever. During the Middle Ages in Europe, beet juice was given to people who for one reason or another can not consume solid foods. The Romans were firmly convinced that if a man and a woman ate the same beets, they would fall in love.

Red beets is an important ingredient in a complete seasonal diet. It is a must-have food for active athletes who want to constantly improve their athletic performance and have greater endurance. This is due to the nitrates that beetroot contains. These compounds spare the body's oxygen reserves and provide energy.

Composition of red beets

Red beets contain on average 88% water, 1.2% protein, 9.3% carbohydrates, 0.9% mineral salts, including potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, sulfur, iodine, cobalt, molybdenum, manganese, fluorine, boron, vanadium, iodine, cesium and rubidium. In terms of iodine content, beets are the leader among vegetables. This makes it widely used for the prevention and treatment of hypothyroidism - a disease of the thyroid gland caused by iodine deficiency.

Beets contain small amounts of vitamin C, carotene, vitamins B1, B2 and B12. Due to the presence of potassium salts, sulfur, phosphorus and magnesium, the metabolic processes in the body are accelerated.

The red color of beets due to the dyes from the group of anthocyanins. In addition, red beets are highly valued as an excellent dietary product, because 100 g of root contains only 44 calories.

100 g of red beets also contain about: 87 g of water, 1.7 g of protein, 0.1 g of fat, about 1 g of cellulose and about 9.5 g of sugars and carbohydrates.

Selection and storage of red beets

To our great joy, red beets are sold year-round in markets and supermarket chains. Choose root crops without injured areas, large and heavy, if possible with a shorter root. The bark should be saturated in color and the inside bloody purple-red. When choosing it, it is important to choose only those that have a dense structure, dark red color and no white spots. It is believed that the greatest benefit to the body have those that have a cylindrical shape. When cutting red beets quite dirty, so keep your clothes.

To store red beets for several months, you need to take care of it well and sort it. Remove damaged beet heads - hit or rotten. In no case do not wash your heads, because this creates a precondition for them to start rotting. Cut the leaves on each head with a sharp knife so that they do not absorb moisture from the red beets.

Leave all the beet heads in a ventilated room to dry. While the beets are drying, they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. You can keep the freshness of red beets only if you store it in a cool place.

Culinary application of red beets

The popularity of red beets as a complete, healthy and healing food has increased in our country in the last 1-15 years. If you ask your grandmother, she will probably remember well that red beets were once fed to animals in the countryside.

Today, its culinary application is constantly expanding. The most popular are salads with red beets, combined with cabbage, carrots, potatoes, apples, pickles and what not.

Roast pork will get a unique taste if you add red beet slices under the foil. It is also used to make quite tasty sauces. Anything you add red beets to will get a deep bloody to purple color. Of course, the popular Borsch can not do without the addition of red beets.

Most of the commercial products are processed in boiled and sterilized form. Beet leaves are also edible. They can be cooked, steamed or eaten fresh in salads, and the taste is similar to spinach leaves.

See more culinary tricks with red beets.

Beetroot and cream salad

Necessary products: 300 g red beets, 200 g apples, 120 g cream, 1 tbsp. grated horseradish, lemon juice

Method of preparation: Boil the beets in salted water with 1 tsp. vinegar or just bake it. Cut it into cubes and add the chopped small or grated apples. Mix with whipped cream with horseradish, salt and lemon juice. Optionally, add parsnips or carrots instead of horseradish, and yogurt instead of cream.

Benefits of red beets

Photo: Yordanka Kovacheva

It is definitely established that regularly consuming red beets take preventive care against the appearance of cancer. There have even been cases of skin cancer in which the application of compresses of beet juice several times a day has led to the complete disappearance of malignancies.

Like the Romans, today experts recommend red beets in chronic constipation, various disorders of the digestive system and liver disease. For this purpose, 100-150 g of red beets on an empty stomach, preferably boiled, are sufficient.

Chinese medicine has long known that red beets strengthen the heart, balance the body and purify the blood. Beetroot juice is quite recommended for women who are in menopause. Beetroot juice stimulates the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, spleen and intestines and has a overall strengthening of the immune system, especially in the fight against colds.

In folk medicine, red beets are also used to treat patients with leukemia, and because of the chlorophyll it contains, it is an indispensable ingredient in the menu of those suffering from anemia.

Paradoxically, despite the presence of sugars, red beets are useful for consumption even by diabetics. It supports the absorption of nutrients and accelerates the elimination of toxins from the body. It contains good levels of iodine and magnesium, which makes it a suitable food for adults and patients with atherosclerosis.

Be sure to eat red beets regularly, especially during the winter months. The cocktail of red beet juice, apples and squeezed lemons is a bomb of vitamins. It can protect you from the flu and, as already mentioned, purifies the blood and slows down the aging process.

In fact, the cellulose contained in beets, malic, citric and other acids are those that increase peristalsis, promote the breakdown and absorption of proteins, increase the vital activity of the liver.

About 200-300 ml beetroot juice daily improves the general condition of the body. This elixir, mixed with equal parts carrot and turnip juice, helps with anemia.

If you mix it with honey, beet juice is used for high blood pressure and as a sedative. 1 tsp beetroot juice a day will improve by 50% your memory and ability to memorize diverse and disordered information. Chopped beetroot paws are a proven remedy for wounds and swelling.

Beetroot juice is extremely useful if there are no contraindications. It is good to do in combination with pumpkin juice, for example, and also to stand for about 1-2 hours. Then drink a little for about 5-10 minutes. Thus, the benefit of it for the body will be maximum. It should not be taken immediately after it has been squeezed, as the side effects of nausea and headache are common.

Contraindications to the consumption of red beets

Like any product, red beets have their own contraindications for use in certain health conditions.

- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in the acute stage;

- gastritis with high acidity;

- hypotension;

- tendency to diarrhea;

- the second stage of urolithiasis;

- individual intolerance.

To check if the beets are working well for you, it is good to start adding it to your diet gradually with about 5-10 grams a day or 1-2 teaspoons. For example, you can add boiled beets to your salad, which will add a new touch to your culinary creation. Along with this, it is important to monitor the presence of any side effects - nausea, headache, rash, diarrhea. If these are not observed, then the daily norm can be gradually increased to 200 grams.

Experts advise to combine the intake of raw red beets with fresh cucumbers or carrots, which soften the active effect of vegetables.

It is important to note that red beets are a natural laxative. Root vegetables should not be taken in large quantities because they can cause spasm of blood vessels. It should not be consumed by people who suffer from increased stomach acidity, as this vegetable will increase it even more.

Beetroot is contraindicated for use in case of increased oxalic acid secretion. It is also forbidden to consume and especially vegetable juice if you have oxaluria (increased urinary calcium oxalate in the urine). Remember that this root vegetable is rich in sugars, so it is contraindicated for people diagnosed with diabetes because it raises blood sugar.

Red beet diet

Red beets are low in calories and suitable for weight reduction diets. The red beet diet, in addition to helping you lose weight, will restore your body after exhaustion. It also helps in hair growth and strengthening.

Adherence to diet with red beets among other things, it will make your skin radiant. In combination with exercise during the diet you can successfully fight cellulite.

The diet with red beets commands in the morning on an empty stomach to drink 1 tsp. freshly squeezed beetroot juice. The second consumption is in the evening, and before 20.30 you should eat a salad made of cabbage, red beets and carrots, seasoned with olive oil.