2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Swiss beets is a tall and green leafy vegetable with a dense crispy stem with white, red or yellow color and broad funnel-shaped leaves. It is from the same family of beets and spinach and has a similar taste profile - the characteristic bitterness of beets and a slight salty taste of spinach leaves. Both its leaves and stem are edible.
Swiss beets in fact, he is not a native of Switzerland, but in the 19th century the Swiss botanist Koch gave it its scientific name, which is why this vegetable inherits its nationality. The real home of Swiss beets is much further south, in the Mediterranean region. The Greek philosopher Aristotle mentioned this vegetable as early as the 4th century BC, and later the Romans, along with the Greeks, praised this type of beet for its beneficial and healing properties.
Composition of Swiss beets
Swiss beets is a rich source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, dietary fiber, copper, calcium, vitamin B2 and B6, protein and more.
Selection and storage of Swiss beets
Choose cool beets, as this way it retains its crispy texture and sweet taste. The leaves should be bright green, with no signs of browning or yellowing.
To store it, put the beets in plastic bags in the refrigerator, which will keep it fresh for a few days.
Culinary use of Swiss beets
- Wash it well to remove the remaining sand or soil hidden in its leaves.
- Trim the bottom of the stem.
- Do not cook it in an aluminum container, as the oxylates contained in it will affect the metal and change its color.
- As the stems have a denser texture than the leaves, their heat treatment should start earlier.
- It is recommended that Swiss beets be subjected to rapid heat treatment, as this way they lose their bitterness and become sweeter.
Benefits of Swiss beets
- It plays an important role in building our bones. Vitamin K, which is found in Swiss beets is extremely important for the health of our bones. One cup of cooked beets contains 306.3% of vitamin K of the daily value.
- Comes to the top of the list for its content of provitamin A. Swiss beets are an exceptional source of vitamin A because of the concentrated content of beta-carotene (beta-carotene helps prevent certain forms of cancer). One cup of Swiss beets contains only 35 calories, but provides us with 109.9% of the daily value of vitamin A.
- Helps the health of our lungs. If you or someone you love is a smoker, taking foods rich in vitamin A (such as Swiss beets), as part of a healthy diet, can save your life. Benzopyrine in cigarette smoke leads to vitamin A deficiency, but a diet enriched with this vitamin can help combat this effect, thus reducing the risk of emphysema.
- Building. The magnesium contained in Swiss beets, helps regulate the tone of our muscles and nerves, balancing the action of calcium. In many nerve cells, magnesium serves as a natural blockade, preventing the influx of calcium into nerve cells and activating the nerves themselves. By blocking it in this way, magnesium keeps our nerves relaxed. A cup of cooked Swiss beets supplies us with 37.6% of the daily value of magnesium and 10.2% of the daily value of calcium.
- Swiss beets provide us with a healthy dose of vitamin C for antioxidant protection and maintenance of our immune system.
Swiss beets is an excellent source of vitamin C - just one cup of this vegetable gives us 52.2% of the daily value of vitamin C, which is the main water-soluble antioxidant in the body, protecting us from free radicals. Therefore, daily intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer (part of the colon).
- Thanks to the potassium content, Swiss beets protect our heart. Playing the role of an important electrolyte for the nerves and for the contraction of all muscles, including the heart, potassium is vital for normal blood pressure and heart function.
- The iron contained in Swiss beets, gives us energy. Swiss beets are an exceptional source of iron-mineral, which is so vital that it is found in every human cell. One cup of cooked Swiss beets gives us 22.0% of the daily value of iron
- Swiss beet has anti-inflammatory functions and has a beneficial effect on our cardiovascular system thanks to:
- It contains vitamin E, which is a major antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals.
- the fiber contained in it, giving us 14.7% of the daily ration by just one cup of cooked beets.
- the energy given to us by manganese and our protection from antioxidants.
- protection of our cardiovascular system through the riboflavin and vitamin B6 contained in it.
Vitamin E-rich "greens" slow down the loss of mental function. Mental functions usually slow down with age, but it is assumed that with regular intake of green, yellow and cruciferous vegetables, this process will be reduced to 40%.
If you do not forget to enjoy at least three servings of well-prepared "greens" every day, it is certain that you will not forget many other things!
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What To Cook With Swiss Beets
Swiss beets are a vegetable similar in appearance to lettuce and iceberg lettuce. It has bright green leaves with large, succulent veins. The taste is reminiscent of spinach. Unlike most vegetables of this type, Swiss beets can be found almost all year round.
Health Benefits Of Swiss Beets
Swiss beet is a plant not very popular in our country. It is used as our familiar cabbage, spinach, lettuce and nettle. Swiss beets has bright curly green leaves with succulent veins. Their taste is similar to that of spinach and celery.
