8 Great Ways to Eat Beetroot
Beetroot is a versatile and nutritious root vegetable that not only tastes delicious, but also has some amazing health benefits. Whether roasted or blended into juice, this superfood provides important antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that can help boost heart health and even strengthen your body - one Paralympic gold medalist credits a glass of beetroot juice as the secret to his success. But what other benefits does beetroot have? And how can you incorporate it into your diet? Read on to find out more about this humble root vegetable.
What are the health benefits of beetroot?
Beetroot has a variety of health benefits that can improve everything from athletic endurance to brain power.
Helps lower blood pressure: Studies have found that drinking beetroot juice may help lower blood pressure. It is thought that the nitrate compounds in the juice convert into nitric acid, which helps relax and dilate blood vessels.
Improves athletic endurance: David Weir claims beetroot juice played a role in his success, and there may be some truth to that; a 2012 study found that drinking root vegetable juice increased plasma nitrate levels and improved physical performance, with trial participants finding that their 10km cycling time was reduced after drinking two glasses of beetroot juice a day.
May slow progression of dementia: Beetroots are not only good for heart and muscle health, but also for brain health. The nitrates in beetroot juice may help increase blood flow to the brain and slow cognitive decline in older adults.
Good source of potassium and other minerals: You may want to include beetroot as one of your five-a-day foods. This root vegetable is rich in potassium, a mineral electrolyte that helps nerves and muscles function properly. It's also a good source of important minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, copper, and selenium.
May Lower Cholesterol: Adding beetroot or beetroot juice to your diet may have a positive impact on cholesterol levels. A 2011 study on rats found that beetroot extract reduced total cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing good HDL cholesterol. This is believed to be due to its phytonutrients, including flavonoids.
Helps Fight Inflammation: Given that inflammation is linked to conditions like obesity, heart disease, liver disease, and cancer, it's a good idea to try to reduce it as much as possible. Beetroot contains a pigment called betalain, which may have anti-inflammatory properties and may help treat conditions like osteoarthritis.
If you're not a fan of eating this ancient vegetable, here are some absolutely delicious beetroot recipes.
The sad thing about all nutritious foods is that they do little to appeal to your taste buds. Ruby-red beets fall into this category, which makes us choose taste over nutritional value.
Beetroot, in particular, is rich in fiber, vitamins B and C, potassium, iron, manganese, and inorganic nitrates. That's exactly why eating them can give you clear, glowing skin, boost your immunity and energy levels, improve blood flow, and keep high blood pressure in check, according to a study published in PubMed Central.
What's even sadder is that despite being aware of all these benefits, we still don't eat enough of this humble vegetable. However, we thought it was time to change the game. So, we found eight delicious beetroot recipes. Below, we take a look at different ways to eat beetroot:
1. Savory Beetroot Salad
There's nothing better than eating beetroot raw. And what's better than a salad? Go ahead, add your favorite veggies along with peeled and sliced beetroots, top it with a salad dressing of your choice, garnish with some cheese or pomegranate, add a squeeze of lime, and your bowl of deliciousness is ready.
2. Get away from the classic boondi raita
As mentioned above, beetroot is best eaten raw, so grate it and add it to the classic boondi raita. Better yet, add it to pure curd to make beetroot raita. Trust us, add some salt, chopped coriander, red chilli powder and a pinch of pomegranate – this raita will make you forget the ones you had before.
3. Beetroot paratha (Beetroot paratha) for the win
Grind the beetroot, add salt, chilli, chopped coriander and make a paratha filling. Now, put it in the dough and cook it like a paratha. Voila a healthy, delicious breakfast is ready.
4. Try beetroot chips
We know how much you love fried food and you might have even thought of deep-frying beetroot chips. But what's the point of eating something healthy by deep-frying it? So, try this: Slice the beetroot into thin and long pieces. Brush them with a little olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and spices of your choice, then simply bake (or air fry) to enjoy crispy beetroot chips. Try serving these chips with hummus or curd sauce.
Healthy Beetroot Recipes:
Looking for inspiration on how to incorporate beetroot into your diet? These healthy recipes will make a delicious addition to your recipes.
Pulled Pork with Beetroot and Red Onion: This juicy pork recipe from Pakington Free Range Farm is a versatile party dish. The pork becomes so tender that it can be easily pulled off the bone and piled into fresh bread. It can be prepared ahead of time and is a great party dish to place in the middle of the table for people to help themselves to.
Goat Cheese and Beetroot Salad with Praline: The rich flavor of goat cheese pairs perfectly with the earthy beetroot and delicious praline. This is a game changer as far as salads go.
Chocolate and Beetroot Cake: You can even incorporate beetroot into desserts with this delicious recipe, combining cooked beetroot with dark chocolate for an unexpectedly good effect.
Raymond Blanc's Beetroot Salad with Hot Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Crème Fraîche: Try a new dish from celebrity chef Raymond Blanc, who combines beetroot with a delicious hot smoked salmon and horseradish crème fraîche.
So what's a beetroot-free winter?
Beet root powder, or beet jucie powder, is made from fresh red beetroot through juicing, filtering, and spray drying process. Beet root juice powder is 100% soluble in water, and the solvent is light red to dark purple when different ratio of powder and water is used. The beet juice powder still has slight taste of original beetroot.
1. Beetroot benefits for the skin include its cleansing action, which helps in eliminating toxins from the body, thereby benefiting the skin too.
2. Beetroot is found to be good in lowering high blood cholesterol and levels of triglycerides.
3. Liver health is also promoted by beetroot consumption. Studies show that beetroot helps prevent liver disease, especially the build-up of fatty deposits in the liver.
4. Betaine in beetroot is beneficial for those with hypochlorhydria, a medical condition characterized by low stomach acid levels.