Wednesday 18 February 2015

Beet It!

I'm going to admit it… until I was in my late teens I thought that beetroot only came in jars and was pickled (thanks Mum, for my amazing palate!). However, as I got older and became aware of my own body, and realised that it couldn't take care of itself unless I gave it a helping hand. I became very interested in food and health. You can understand my surprise when I saw a fresh beet! The taste didn’t disappoint either! They taste so fresh and sweet and the benefits they give us are awesome. The beet is definitely a overlooked member of the vegetable family.
A recent study shows beetroot to be a factor in heart health. Penn States Noll laboratory revealed that athletes who drank beet juice before exercising had increased blood flow and improved performance. Researchers also found that it “de-stiffened” blood vessels under resting conditions, potentially easing the workload of the heart. They are also a great purifier for the blood. It's been said that they can prevent various forms of cancer!
Beets are high in many vitamins and minerals. Potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron; vitamins A, B and C; beta-carotene, beta-cyanine and folic acid. These are just a few of the many nutrients that can be found in beets and their greens!
Beets are used as a stomach acid tester. Nutritionists use beets and beet juice to test the stomach acid levels. If your pee is pink, you have low stomach acid, which is what you want, but if it's still clear...get juicing!
Beets are very beneficial to women who are pregnant as the vitamin B and iron are very active to new growth cells during pregnancy and replacing iron in mums body.
Beets can help with mental health too as they contain betaine, the same substance that is used in certain treatments of depression. It also contains Tryptophan which relaxes the mind and creates a sense of well-being similar to chocolate. At the same time they are low in calories and high in sugar (although the sugar is released into your system gradually, as opposed to chocolate). Let's get the beetroot in girls and shed some pounds!
This one is for the boys (and girls)... Beets are natures viagra! Really! One of the first known uses of beets was by the ancient Romans. They used them medically as an aphrodisiac. They got it right too, science backs it up. Beets contain high amounts of boron, which is directly related to the production of human sex hormones.  All sounds perfect to me! Time to stop 'beeting' around the root and get it in!


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