EAT YOUR BEETS!

Well, whad’ya know..? One of the least tasty vegetables turned out to be among the healthiest! Beets, however awful it may taste when eaten raw, fortunately, when mixed and thrown around together with your favorite salad or mixed with juiced fresh fruits and/or your favorite greens, can be quite a treat!

So, what’s the low down on this red-purple gem..?

Add some beet chunks to your salad nicoise for added vitamins

Widely known to help create red blood cells, its nutrition benefits come particularly from fiber, vitamins and minerals. Its special red pigment is part of the phyotonutrients group known as betalains. Betalain isn’t just a fancy term, it is an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and its detoxifying agents are richer than any other plants containing beta-carotene. Like many other greens, beets lose a lot of its nutritional value if cooked for more than 15 minutes. Raw beets, however, are an excellent source of folate (a natural source of folic acid) and contain a significant amount of vitamin C, one of the powerful natural antioxidants as well as manganese, magnesium, and potassium. Beet greens are rich in caretenoids, flavanoid anti-oxidants and vitamin A.

Add beets to your favorite juice mix for an extra oomph!

Betanin, obtained from the roots, is used industrially as red food colorants. / Beet, barley and black eyed peas are popular ingredients in vegan burgers. A perfect addition to your favorite fresh salad, when selecting for beets at your local market, choose firm textured beets and pick those that are bright colored and skip tender beets.

Any greens should be used while they are fresh but if you’re saving your beets for later, you can set the gems aside in the fridge for a few weeks.

I don’t particularly like lettuce in my salad, but I love artichokes, garbanzo beans, asparagus, arugulas and jalapenos. Throw all of the above together in nicoise dressing and top it off with chunks of raw beets, and you got yourself a light, healthy lunch snack..!