Red Beets – Health Benefits

If you have been following my posts, you already know that one of my hobbies is gardening.

The growing season is over, but my organic garden is still supplying me with some of the herbs and vegetables.

One of these vegetables still in supply, is a red beet.  Not everyone likes red beets, but my family and I happen to like red beets, and I either cook borscht from beets, or make vinaigrette salads.  Actually red beet borscht is one of the main meatless courses at a Traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner.

I will post my red beet recipes in future posts, but this time I would like to tell you a little bit about the health benefits of this vegetable.  You may not have been very fond of red beets before, but you might reconsider, once you are aware of its health benefits.

• Red beets are high in carbohydrates and low in fat and it is an excellent source of folic acid

• It is loaded with antioxidant that helps the body against heart disease, certain cancer especially colon cancer

• It is believed that red beets, when eaten regularly, may help against certain oxidative stress-related disorders

• The fiber in red beets helps to reduce serum cholesterol by 30-40%, and help in normalizing blood pressure

• The iron content in red beets is of a very fine quality and it makes a powerful cleanser and builder of blood

• It contains folic acid, thus recommended to be consumed by pregnant women, to lower the risk of spina befida and other neural tube defects in newborns

• Red beet juice stimulates the function of liver cells and protects the liver and bile ducts

• A mixture of red beet juice and carrot juice is an excellent aid in healing gout, kidney, and gall bladder problems

Even though most of the health benefits from consuming red beets is from the root of the plant, the leaves and stems should also be consumed, since these contain such nutrients as: beta-carotene, folic acid, chlorophyll, potassium, iron and vitamin C.

So, if you were not so fond of red beets before, are you ready to give it a try now?

You have nothing to lose, and lots of healthful stuff to gain.

Related posts:

1. Botvinka – Red Beet Leaf and Herb Soup
2. Sorrel Leaves – My Organic Garden
3. This Season’s Harvest Has Began

Tagged with: Health benefits, nutients in red beets, Red Beets

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