The Health Benefits of Beets

Posted on November 8, 2019January 24, 2020 by kim

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Botanical name

Beta vulgaris

Other Names

Beetroot
Table beet
Sugar beet

Vitamins and Minerals

Folate
Manganese
Potassium
Iron
Vitamin C
Fiber

Health Benefits

It seems people from the Middle Ages may have been onto something when they used beetroot as a treatment for issues relating to the blood because beets may lower the risk of heart disease due to the folate and betaine contained in beets, (especially in beet juice), which act together to help lower blood levels of homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine can increase your risk of heart disease by causing artery-damaging inflammation.
Beets contain natural chemicals called nitrates, which your body changes into nitric oxide, which can in turn help boost stamina, improve blood flow and help lower blood pressure.
Research has found that betalains (which give beets their rich red color) have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Description

The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant.

Background and History

Originally, humans mostly ate the leaves and stalks of the beet plant and only used the roots occasionally as a medicine. The first record of the beet being cultivated for the root was in 1542, in either Germany or Italy.

In 1747 Andreas Sigismund Marggraf, a chemist from Berlin, discovered a way to produce sucrose from beets. His student, Franz Achard, perfected this method for extracting sugar. The King of Prussia eventually subsidized a sugar beet industry. The first sugar plant was built in what is now western Poland.

Flavor Profile

Earthy

Pairs Well With

Goat cheese
Citrus
Bacon
Potatoes
Butternut squash

Popular Uses

In the making of table sugar.
Beets can be eaten boiled, roasted, or raw.
Beets are processed into boiled and sterilized beets or into pickles.
In Eastern Europe, beet soup, such as borscht, is a popular dish.
In Indian cuisine, chopped, cooked, spiced beet is a common side dish.
The leaves are edible and can be added raw to salads or can be boiled or steamed.
A traditional Pennsylvania Dutch dish is pickled beet egg.
During the middle of the 19th century, wine often was colored with beetroot juice.
Pickled beets are popular in Australia on hamburgers.
In Northern Germany, beetroot is mashed with Labskaus or added as its side order.
Betanins obtained from the roots are used industrially as red food dye.

Storage

If the greens are still attached, cut all but 2 inches of the greens and stems from the roots, so they do not pull moisture away from the roots. Place unwashed beetroots in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Unwashed beets will keep for about 3 weeks.

Store unwashed greens in a separate perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator vegetable crisper, where they will keep for about 4 days.