Red beets are colorful vegetables that can be used in many ways. Their earthy taste and smell set them apart.
Red beets are a good source of important vitamins and minerals, as well as plant compounds that have medicinal properties. Beets also add a little color to your food.
This article will teach you everything you need to know about red beets.
Table of Contents
What is a red beet?
Red beets have been linked to a number of health benefits, including better blood flow, lower blood pressure, and better exercise performance.
Many benefits are said to come from their high concentration of inorganic nitrates.
While raw red beets are tasty, they are more often cooked or pickled.
Health benefits of red beets
May Prevent Anemia
Red beets have a lot of iron, which helps prevent anemia and helps red blood cells thrive. It also contains vitamin C, which helps the body absorb iron.
Lower Blood Pressure
Hypertension can be bad for your heart and blood vessels. Furthermore, it is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and early death all over the world.
Foods high in inorganic nitrates may lower your blood pressure and make more nitric oxide, which could help you avoid heart disease.
In some studies, red beets or their juice were shown to lower blood pressure by up to 3–10 mm Hg over a few hours, which is good for your heart
Increased Exercise Capacity
Many studies show that taking nitrates can help you do better at exercise, especially if you do it for a long time at a high intensity.
Nitrates in the diet have been shown to reduce the amount of oxygen your body needs during exercise by lowering the efficiency of mitochondria, the cell organelles that make energy.
Red beets and their juice are often used for this because they have a lot of inorganic nitrates.
People who eat red beets may be able to improve their running and cycling performance, stamina, oxygen use, and overall exercise performance.
It may have anti-cancer properties
Red beets have a plant pigment called betacyanin that makes them look purple or red. Betacyanin can stop the growth of certain types of cancer, such as bladder cancer.
May improve digestive health
Glutamine is an amino acid that is important for the health and maintenance of the gut. Red beets are a good source of this amino acid. They also have a lot of fiber, which helps the environment in the gut and the good bacteria that live there, as well as the way your bowels work.
Can be anti-inflammatory
It has been said that red beets are one of the top ten vegetables in terms of antioxidants. The betalain compounds in the root have been shown to have a lot of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power. This means that they help protect cells and may help fight diseases like heart disease and cancer that happen with aging.
May Reduce Birth Defects
Red beets are good for pregnant women because they have folate, a B vitamin that helps the spinal column of an infant grow. Birth defects like neural tube defects can happen if you don’t get enough folate.
May Prevent Respiratory Problems
Vitamin C is found in a lot of red beets, which may help keep asthma symptoms at bay. Besides protecting the body from free radical damage, vitamin E boosts the activity of white blood cells, which are the body’s main defense against foreign bodies and viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoan toxins. These things can cause a wide range of sicknesses and infections.
Is red beet safe for everyone?
People who eat red beets may get beeturia or red or pink color in their urine or stool. It is completely safe!
The natural compound oxalate is found in beet greens and roots, but not as much as in the roots. People who have had oxalate-containing kidney stones in the past should stay away from foods like red beets that are high in oxalate.
How to tell if red beets are bad?
Smell
When red beets are young, they smell earthy and fresh. Trying to describe an earthy smell isn’t easy. Beets have an earthy scent that you’ll recognize if your nose has been used to them.
People don’t like when food goes bad because it smells bad. If the smell is too strong, throw away the beet.
Trying to use your sense of smell to figure out how fresh red beets are can be hard.
Mold
Mold can be removed from places that have been infected. In contrast to red beets, if the fruit is contaminated, the whole fruit is toxic. Usually, by the time you find out about the mold, it’s already too late to do anything about it. The spores and toxins will spread through the whole vegetable. Because the fungus has no visible effect on beets, it is important to note that this is the case.
Texture
They can get wrinkles if they don’t get enough water. They are very strong, but if they start to wrinkle, look for bruising on the surface.
If the surface is too soft to work with, it’s time to throw it away. It’s best to compare your red beet to carrots so that you can figure out which one is better. Because fresh carrots are hard, this is why this is the way it is. They are all root fruits, which makes them unique.
How to eat red beets?
You can now see why beets are so popular and why they are so healthy. These are the ways on how it can be added to your food.
Crank your can opener
Red beets in a can are as straightforward as they come. By cutting them, you can make a salad. To make a pink dip, mix them with hummus and add a little pink food coloring. A dip made with red beets can help you like their earthy taste even if you don’t like them.
Make sure that the canned beets don’t have any salt or other ingredients in them.
Preheat your oven
It tastes better when red beets are cooked. They can also be thinly sliced and baked to make crunchy beet chips.
Grab a glass
Beet juice has less fiber than whole beets. As for using red beets to improve your brain function or athletic performance, juice can help you get even more out of them. In some grocery stores and vitamin stores, you can even find supplements made from powdered beet juice.
Final thoughts
These foods are rich in nutrients, fiber, and phytochemicals. They are also good for your heart and skin.
They have a lot of inorganic nitrates, which are good for your heart and make it easier for you to exercise.
Red beets are a sweet and tasty salad addition to your diet.
People like them raw, boiled, or baked. They are easy to make and taste great.
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